Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

Every shot in Moonrise Kingdom is centered so perfectly it looks like Wes Anderson laid it out with a ruler, and sometimes the feelings get flattened along with the framing. The grown-ups are the weak spot. Bill Murray and Frances McDormand play a married couple who mostly communicate through sighs and a bullhorn, and that’s about all their marriage gets. Then the kids take over. Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward play two 12-year-olds who talk like very serious tiny lawyers, and somehow it’s the most sincere love story Anderson has made. Bruce Willis is the surprise, a lonely island cop in short sleeves who turns out to be the kindest adult in sight. Edward Norton commits fully to a scout master who runs camp like a general. Tilda Swinton plays a character literally named Social Services. It’s a breezy 94 minutes. An 8.2 because under all that fussy precision there’s a real ache about being young and misunderstood. $131 says you buy binoculars this month and only ever use them on your own backyard.

What works: The two young leads play first love with total sincerity, and Bruce Willis gives one of his gentlest, most surprising performances.

What doesn’t: The adult characters are mostly quirks in costumes, and the precise style sometimes keeps the emotion at arm’s length.

Who it’s for: Anyone who ever packed a suitcase to run away and made it as far as the end of the block.