New Penzance Film Analysis

Two troubled preteen pen pals run away together to explore the island of New Penzance and their love for each other.
Moonrise Kingdom is set in the 1960’s and follows the story of 12 year-olds Suzy Bishop (Kara Hayward) and Sam Shakusky (Jared Gilman) as they run away together. Suzy is the oldest of four children whose parents were once lawyers and have now retired to the Island of New Penzance to live in a light house. Suzy is problematic, she has no friends, is depressed and acts out violently at times. Her parents confirm this by having a packet titled “Coping with the Very Troubled Child” on top of their fridge that Suzy later discovers. At a musical Suzy stars in, she meets Sam. Sam is an orphan who is away from his foster home for a scout summer camp on the island. Fittingly Sam is also described as troubled by adults and has been removed from multiple foster homes. The two bond after meeting and become pen pals who fall in love through hand-written letters.
The film jumps from scene to scene showing the lives of the police officer (Bruce Willis), the Bishops (Bill Murray and Frances McDormand), the scout camp and Scout Master Ward (Edward Norton Jr.). These scenes never add anything really to the plot but allow the viewer to better understand the characters and the lifestyle of the island. Such as the all-knowing narrator dressed in a red wool coat and green knit hat, who frequently interrupts the story to inform the viewer of an oncoming storm that the residents of the island seem unaware