I am going to preface this by saying that, while I generally like Wes Anderson’s films, I’m not a huge fan. I like most of the films that he’s made, but haven’t really loved any of them. Until now. I saw Moonrise Kingdom last night, and I found it to be emotionally engaging and heartwarming without being overly sentimental. I found it to be witty and clever without being pretentious. I found it to be stylistically interesting without being distracted by its look.

An awkward, fish-out-of-water boy meets an equally awkward and misunderstood girl. The only thing that they have in common is that no one understands them, but they understand each other and they decide to leave the world behind so that they can be together. Obviously Wes Anderson has a penchant for making films about awkward youth, or in the case of The Royal Tenenbaums, the results of an awkward youth. This film is no different, but it shows the more positive side of it when you’re lucky enough to stumble across someone who is just as out there as you are.

What impressed me the most about this film was the simplicity of the story telling. Sam and Suzy have a chance meeting and then correspond through simple letters that end up equalling one long conversation, including some letters that are just a word or two. Sam is an orphan living with a foster family that is indifferent towards his well-being, and Suzy is the oldest child in what appears to be a well put together nuclear family, but she’s troubled and her straight-laced lawyer parents don’t know how to deal with her. Sam and Suzy agree through their correspondence to meet and try to start a life together, but they’re each only 13 and it isn’t long before Suzy’s parents, Sam’s scout leader and the local police are on their trail.

The script was one of the strongest components of this film. The overall story structure well constructed with clear act breaks that kept the story moving, and there was even some rising tension in the second half of Act II and all of Act III. The dialogue was very sharp, and each character had a distinct voice and clear personality, including even the more minor characters, who came across as real people in this caricatured world because they all had depth and personality.

I would highly suggest to all aspiring screenwriters, as well as established screenwriters, to get their hands on this script and read it through. What you’ll find is a carefully crafted script that has all of the stages of the Hero’s Journey, and characters that are dynamic archetypes.

Thematically, this is obviously a story about young love and the awkwardness that accompanies the early teenage years. As the father of a teenage girl, there were a couple of scenes that I found uncomfortable, but Anderson was careful not to overstep the bounds of good taste even as he pushed the envelope just about as far as it could go. But what was always clear was the legitimate and boundless affection that Sam and Suzy felt for each other, and it was demonstrated by the lengths they were willing to go through to be together. Not only that, but it was also demonstrated by the lengths that others were willing to go through for them.

And that is really the draw to this film. Like all of Anderson’s films, this film is primarily character driven, although in my opinion this is his strongest story. But what really draws the audience in is the relationships between the characters. And that doesn’t just include the relationship between Sam and Suzy, but all of the relationships between all of the characters in the film. They all feel genuine and sincere. Also, the amount of wit and personality that the characters show, especially Sam, Suzy, Scout Master Ward (Edward Norton), and Captain Sharp (Bruce Willis), helps to make them engaging and allows the audience to root for them and hope that they all find happiness in the end. It also helps raise the tension when at the end of the second act it doesn’t look like any of them will.

Is this a perfect film? No, it is not. It wouldn’t be a Wes Anderson film if there weren’t at least a couple of moments that made you scratch your head, and there are moments like that in this film. They mainly have to do with the way that certain scenes were shot, or the moment where Scout Master Ward jumps across the flood waters in an attempt to save Commander Pierce and he’s clearly on a wire. Perhaps it was shot to intentionally look cheesy, and it did for sure, but I certainly could have done without that particular shot as it took me out of the moment and made me lose the illusion that had been up to that point so masterfully created.

With all that said, and looking at the overall package of this film, from its entertainment value to the quality of the film making, this is easily my favorite film of the year so far.