Moonrise Kingdom

MOONRISE KINGDOM is precious. It's also almost stiflingly stylized, an elliptical concoction with odd characters and peculiar storylines and overly, specifically gorgeous set design that strains the senses. But it still shines like a well-cut gem, with delicate layers and exquisite characters that live in a world you've never seen before but don't mind visiting and a plot that sneaks up on you with quiet heartbreak.

The two young leads, Hayward and Gilman, are keepers; they're so unaffected that they're effective -- they seem like real people asking hard questions and struggling to connect and be grounded in a world in which adults are moorless. They're each other's match in the funky ark meant to survive this rain-soaked world experiencing its own flood. Anderson is an auteur. To see his films is to give yourself over to his singular, sometimes claustrophobic vision. But with Moonrise Kingdom, surrendering to Andersonland is a pleasure. Don't think about it too much; allow yourself to be engulfed.