Director and writer Wes Anderson’s latest film. Moonrise Kingdom , blew my expectations away, even with my predisposed approval of the impressive cast. Big stars like Bruce Willis, Ed Norton and Bill Murray all were cast into the sorts of roles that they usually don’t play.

Norton’s big performance in Fight Club is a diametrical opposite  of his role as Scoutmaster Ward, an easygoing math teacher who leads Troop 55 of the Khaki Scouts over the summer in survival skills and camping basics.

Sam (Jared Gilman) is a young, misunderstood member of Troop 55. The other boys made fun of him all summer, even though he easily grasped the skills taught by their scoutmaster. Besides being an avid outdoorsman, Sam has already discovered the confusing, yet rewarding world of love. Across the fields of 1960 New England, Sam has spotted Suzy (Kara Hayward) another misunderstood adolescent who has found that people just don’t understand her. In the midst of their prepubescent angst, the two youngsters plan to escape their lives for good and live off the land in “Moonrise Kingdom,” a quaint spot off the shore of the east coast where they imagine the  two of them could live undisturbed. The twists and turns of romance don’t bother the young couple, as they seem to be in love.  But Suzy’s dysfunctional family and Troop 55 will have none of it and the star-crossed lovers must fight to be together, in this Romeo and Juliet-esque tale.

Wes Anderson’s work in the Indie film genre has yet to disappoint, with movies like The Royal Tenenbaums and Fantastic Mr. Fox to his credit. Moonrise Kingdom is the epitome of a good Indie film with its excellent and quirky use of camera angles and color composition. This movie is a must see, but you will be hard-pressed to find a cinema still showing it. Well, there’s always Netflix.