Moonrise Kingdom

In the 3rd unit in the Ollywood course, which is called Post-Production, the class learned about the different techniques used to complete a film, which includes the sound effects, special effects, editing, and soundtrack. For our final action project, we were assigned to create a movie critique, in the form of a podcast including those elements, and also choosing an approach that we were going to be looking through the eyes of. I decided to choose Moonrise Kingdom directed by Wes Anderson. I also chose to take the feminist approach, studying carefully how the women were being portrayed in the film. At first I had a difficult time choosing which approach to take while watching. After a while of studying the film I finally was able to find the points I needed in order to look into the movie with that approach. Thanks to this unit and project, I learned how to point out all these post production elements, and now know the big impact that they have on films.



Hey everyone! Thanks for taking the time, to listen to my review of Moonrise Kingdom, a 60s romantic-comedy film, directed by Wes Anderson in 2012.

I will be critiquing this film looking for elements of post-production, which includes editing, sound effects, special effects, and soundtrack. I will be analyzing these elements through the feminist approach. Which means I will be studying how women are being portrayed in this film.

Sam Shakusky, played by Jared Gilman, is the protagonist of the film. Sam is a 12 year old member of the Khaki scouts at Camp Ivanhoe. The camp takes place on a island called New Penzance in New England. Suzy Bishop, played by Kara Hayward, lives on the island, and is also 12 years old. Sam and Suzy met in the summer of 1964. Their budding love started with writing letters to each other back and forth. In these letters, they started to create a secret plan to meet up and run away together. The disappearance of Sam eventually led the scout leader to calling the police, where they then found out he was an orphan, and once they found him he would go straight to social services. Suzy on the other hand had parents who cared about her, but also had some trouble with her bizarre behavior lately. Both are eventually busted by the police and Suzy’s parents ordered that they were never to see each other again. But that of course, didn’t work because at the end we see Sam promising to come back the next day a few weeks later.

While studying the two main females in the film, I noticed one thing; they were both secretly running away to love, the daughter and the mother. In the beginning of the movie, when everyone finds out that Sam first went missing, Captain Duffy Sharp, played by Bruce Willis, visits the Bishop house. From his brief visit, I had no clue that there was a secret affair going on between him and Mrs. Bishop. It wasn't until right after he got into his car and left that we see Mrs. Bishop running out as if about to do laundry, but instead gets on her bike to go meet Captain Duffy Sharp. The next scene shows Suzy standing on the top of the lighthouse looking through a pair of binoculars, and through the use of the look-off film cut,the scene cuts to a close-up shot of the two together. This shows that Mrs. Bishop is secretive, and weak for having to hide the truth from her family. Although those qualities are fitting, I also see her as a strong woman which she demonstrates in the scene when she first finds out Suzy is missing. Mrs. Bishop walks around the house with a megaphone,showing that she’s the boss of the house.

She also wasn't just a housewife either, both her and husband were attorneys. Their wealth can be seen in the big house they own which is shown along the ocean and appears to be in the middle of nowhere. I can tell that there was use of CGI when looking at the exterior of their house because the house looked too perfect, almost like a dollhouse.

Before being introduced to the front of the house there was also some audio-linkage. While inside Suzy is listening to The Young Person’s Guide To The Orchestra on her record player, and then when the film cuts to the official introduction, we hear the actual recording, without the fuzzy quality.

In one scene ,we see both Mr and Mrs Bishop in their room at night in separate beds . This shows that she was strong enough to show him know she was no longer in love with him, but again weak because she couldn’t be honest about her affair or that she was out of love for him. I see a lot of Mrs. Bishop’s qualities in Suzy. She’s very intelligent for her age, and very tough. We see that side when she starts to stab a kid with a pair of scissors.This is the part that makes Suzy seem “equal” to Sam, according to Ryan Reft, writer of the article “Gender And Sex In The Films Of Wes Anderson”. It also says “Suzy occupies the role of violent protector more so than Sam”.

Although intelligent, she’s still a young girl, as we’re able to see when she goes through her collection of fairy tales. I also see her as a sneaky young girl, as she was able to keep the letters a secret, only until she went missing. Again like her mother though, I see her as weak. In one scene while going through Suzy’s books, Sam asked her if she was depressed and she shrugged. She then shows him a book that she found at her house titled “Coping with the very troubled child”, assuming her mother was trying to get advice on how to deal with her bad behavior. Once Sam sees this he starts chuckling, and Suzy gets sensitive and runs to her tent. Even in one scene, when Suzy is finally home, her mother is cleaning her up in, and she says “We women, are more emotional” when talking about how she understands what her daughter is going through.

We also get to see how Suzy prepared for the run away. She takes things that are more meaningful for her, while Sam takes things that are needed in order to survive out in the wilderness, he didn't bother wasting space on personal things. Suzy is also dressed a little too elegant for this runaway. She has a nice dress, Sunday shoes, and some bright blue eye shadow. She looks uncomfortable when sitting down with Sam. Sound effects in this scene was effective , as we heard the frying fish sizzling, and the chirps and water from nature, watching Sam cook it, and being able to hear it, made me want to join them.

I also noticed how Anderson put more authority into the men. Captain Duffy as the main cop, we have the scout leader, and then there’s Sam, the leader, the one who kind of saves Suzy from her miserable time at home.

The soundtrack also contributed to the natural feel to the movie. The film score was composed by Alexander Desplat. He named the soundtrack The Heroic Weather Conditions Of the Universe, giving the different weather conditions a theme song. We also hear this when making their ways through the wilderness, trying to not get caught, and when also having a conversation about what they want to be when they grow up on a rock above the ocean. Its fits the suspenseful but whimsical mood of the story.

Although different from films I usually watched, I really enjoyed going through this witty, whimsical love story, and I would for sure recommend this movie to anyone thats in for a good fantasy film.