I recently re-watched one of my favorite Wes Anderson movies, Moonrise Kingdom, which prompted me to dive down a deep, dark hole of image searches on the internet. During my frivolous search of hipster GIFs & Tumblr posts, I stumbled upon an old website posting that dissects the various meanings, interpretations, innuendos, & subtle nods behind Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola‘s popular film. After reading that old post, I started thinking about my own interpretations of this film.
I have seen this movie countless times, & each time I watch this movie, it makes me think of the storyline in a weird way. Over time, I have gathered some rather strange thoughts regarding this movie, but it still has not deterred me from watching it again. Here, I will try to gather all of my crazy thoughts in the movie’s chronological order…
SAM SHAKUSKY’S GRAPHIC WATERCOLOR PORTRAITS
Just like Bill Murray‘s character Walt Bishop asks, I also ask the same question: “What the hell am I looking at?!” No, seriously. Why is a 12-year old boy painting nude portraits of a girl/woman getting into a bath tub??? Also, just like Walt Bishop, I also wonder if Suzy sat for this portrait. (Probably not, but it looks suspiciously realistic to her image.) I love Sam‘s watercolor paintings of landscapes & city buildings, but What-The-Face is he doing sending Suzy a portrait of a bathing naked lady?! That’s both sweet & weird.
SUZY BISHOP’S CAT
GIF not accurate to the timeline of the movie, but it was the best MK cat image I could find.
What’s up with Suzy‘s cat? I mean, why’d she have to bring along her cat when she’s trying to run away from home…& then she only brought one box worth of kitten chow tins? That’s not going to sustain the cat for any period of time. Plus, the cat’s going to slow those kids down with all of its extra weight (& baggage). This cat serves no purpose on this adventure. Not to mention, the cat totally gave away the whereabouts of the runaway kids with its discarded kitten chow tin.
THE SCOUT & HIS CANOE
How does a 12-year old kid steal a miniature canoe & load it up with some fishing tackle, 10 pounds of sundries, 2 bedrolls, & an air rifle all by himself in the middle of a full boy scout camp at night, without being detected? I’ll admit the kid’s got real determination to run away with the love of his life. Let me tell you… I was in a girl scout troop for 3 years, & we never accomplished nearly as much outdoor achievements as field mate Sam Shakusky. This kid has some cajones to quit his troop, & serious skills to sneak off with a boat load of camping supplies. (No pun intended.)
KIDS WITH GUNS (NOT LITERALLY)
Look at these deadly scouts with homemade weapons! Isn’t that a tad bit excessive just to recover an escaped scout member? I mean, who says “If we find him, I’m not going to be the one who forgot to bring a weapon?”? Sam is harmless. He’s only carrying a pellet gun fer chrissake! The worst he could do would be to shoot his eye out (right, Ralphie?). Why are the other kids bringing hatchets, hunting knives, hammers, & a crudely made mace? Also, what kind of scout master allows 12-year old boys to randomly carry such sharp & dangerous objects? (Aren’t these kids still supposed to be using safety scissors? Haha!)
THE KIDS AREN’T ALRIGHT
Why are these young (unsupervised) kids playing a game of chicken, with real weapons no less, in the field of a deserted forest? This is the kind of stand-off that could rival any John Wayne shoot-em-up cowboy western. Then again, things get even more intense when all of the “Lord of The Flies-y” boys decend in mad chaos toward the young lovers on the hill. The stand-off comes to a head & there are a few unfortunate casualties. Please be warned that things get graphic & gorey at this point. It has been reported by multiple sources that when this movie was released, many movie goers got really uncomfortable by the next occuring events. For one, a dog gets shot in the neck by a stray arrow & dies. Then, one of the scouts gets stabbed in the lower back with a pair of lefty scissors. Although those scenes in a PG-13 rated movie are horrific in their own right, that’s not what got audience members cringing in their seats. No. It was the graphic scene when Sam, looming over the poor scout dog Snoopy, unceremoniously pulls & removes the very bloody arrow from the dog’s neck. If you ask me, that’s kind of being too specific in detail for a PG-13 rated movie.
TIDAL INLETS ARE THE NEW MAKE-OUT SPOTS
Does nobody care, or even notice, that these barely pubescent, adolescent teens are running around on a secluded beach in their underwear? Well, it’s not the Blue Lagoon, & Brooke Shields isn’t lying on the beach with her hair not-so-subtly covering her tits, but still. It’s super weird that these tweens are hanging out in their underwear with absolutely zero eff’s given. That’s not all…
Sam makes Suzy a pair of earrings using sharp fish hooks & some fishing tackle. Then he proceeds to pierce her ear without even disinfecting/cleaning the hooks. That sounds like a recipe for an infection if you ask me. Then…
Suzy has visions of grandeur…believing that kids with no parents lead more interesting lives. Sam immediately sets her straight about the lonliness of not having any familial structure. They may be adolescent youths, but they sure get real deep & somewhat philosophical when they chat. They even profess their love for each other.
SAM & SUZY SITTING IN A TREE…K-I-S-S-I-N-G…
When I was 12, I had barely gotten out of the “boys have cooties” phase. I was just starting to learn about kissing on the lips & holding hands. I had no real experience with kissing boys. Yet here these two love birds are, discussing the ins-&-outs of French kissing! (No pun intended, again.) According to Suzy, the tongues touch each other. These kids are becoming way too mature at such a young age, & they are weirdly too good at first-time French kissing. But wait, there’s more!
Sam pulls Suzy closer while they’re slow dancing on the beach, but lo & behold…Sam’s got a boner. Wait, this IS supposed to be a PG-13 rated movie, right? So, why are we talking about pre-teen boners? Well, naturally that’s what happens when you’re going through puberty & you’re in love. But, does she mind? No. She likes it. (Ew, gross.) Don’t worry though, this isn’t a one-sided deal here. Sam gets to cop a feel too. (Double gross.)
NIGHTY, NIGHTIE
The young lovers are asleep in their cozy bed chamber, wearing nothing but the skivvies they they danced in the day before, only to be awoken by very concerned parents, scout troop, & lone police captain. Here comes dear ol’ dad, ripping the tent right off like a nasty band-aid.
And so, we’ve reached the end. The two little love birds have tied the knot. (Not legally) All is right in the world, except for the biggest storm New Pensance has ever encountered, along with severe lightning strikes, & some harrowing rescues atop a church tower. Yet, after all that excitement, like all other Wes Anderson movies, this too must come to a happy ending.
Today’s song of the day:
Rabbits & Foxes 