My thoughts on ‘Moonrise Kingdom’.
Vintage; this is the word I would use to describe ‘Moonrise Kingdom’. The beautiful use of 16mm film combined with unconventional camera angles, purposefully excessive acting and a story that makes any audience feel as though love really can come in all shapes and forms, is what makes ‘Moonrise Kingdom’ such a masterpiece.
The story is one of the greatest aspects. A powerful narrative takes the audience through the journey of a (much too young) boy and girl who find themselves in love with each other. They take a journey through the vast expanse of a luscious, colourful island in an attempt to flee their lives and build new ones together, all whilst discovering what true love really means. The story is executed with superb, original cinematography that draws in the audience; from complex, fast rotations and pans of the camera used to display different spaces in one location, to the interesting and unexpected use of side camera angles which defy standard physics, travelling through a set wall to providing a visually stimulating and unexpected frame.
The colour grading within ‘Moonrise Kingdom’ was one of the best displays I have ever seen. With a vibrant, vintage look, the pastel colour palette popped with subtle yet dynamic yellows and greens that provided a real ‘outdoors’ experience for the viewer. The beautiful grain achieved from the use of Super 16mm film was complemented with the slight muting of saturation to achieve the real vintage look that does such a convincing job of persuading the audience that the film was genuinely produced in 1965.
The score [or almost lack-of it] and sound design made the scenes feel so real. I constantly felt as though I was truly there, alongside Sam and Suzy, listening and contributing to their dialogues and helping them make decisions. By having such lack of non-diegetic music it really allows the audience to immerse themselves and feel as though they are watching the characters lives unfold, as opposed to watching a film.
Having witnessed unintentional over-acting first-hand, I know that it can destroy an audience’s ability and will to want to watch a film. ‘Moonrise Kingdom’ sheds light on excessive acting; it shows that it can be used for real effect. The use of this excessive acting really stylises the production. When combined with its unique, almost comedic cinematography and distinctive colour grading, the acting allows the film to imprint in the audience’s mind, really creating a memorable production that will constantly remind the audiences of the importance of creating unique and independent content.
Overall, ‘Moonrise Kingdom’ is an alluring film that really delves into realms unexplored by film. Just about every aspect is a pleasure to the senses and it really proves what can be done with independent film. ‘Moonrise Kingdom’ will always remain in my must-watch list, and as time goes by, I can only see this film becoming more and more important to the integrity of the film industry.
