Sam Shakusky and Susi Bishop are outsiders. Or at least, they are both described as such by their immediate social groups and wider society. Sam is “emotionally disturbed” due to the death of his parents and Susi is known as a “very troubled” child. These labels distance both characters from their social groups; Sam from his fellow foster children and Suzy from her classmates.
This separation is made visually apparent through Wes Anderson’s use of uniform. During the ‘pen-pal’ sequence, Sam’s striped shirt and matching trousers contrasts with the white T-shirt and jeans donned by the other foster kids, whilst Susi’s red tartan outfit marks her out from the rows of classmates wearing blue-chequered dresses.
Despite this similarity, the theme of uniform also helps show us how Sam and Susi differ. In nearly every scene in New Penzance, Sam is wearing an immaculate Khaki Scouts uniform. Following his struggles at the foster home, it seems that he is desperate to find acceptance within his scout troop. He takes pride in his uniform and duties as a Scout, meticulously pitching sturdy tents and practising survival skills whilst the other scouts are told off for violating uniform codes and doing sloppy, dangerous work. Yet, despite being one of the most talented scouts, Sam is still unable to find acceptance at Camp Ivanhoe. He is simply unable to break free from the stigma of being ‘emotionally disturbed’.
This constant desire to fit in contrasts with Susi’s wish to carve her own path. Unlike Sam, she is never seen wearing a matching uniform and always seems to have her own distinctive outfit. Even in the Noah’s Ark scene, where most of the other characters in the biblical tale have an identically dressed partner, Susi stands alone, burning bright as an individual Raven.
This is perhaps what draws Sam to Susi; he sees in her a certain self-expression that contracts with his own institutionalised conformity. Indeed, Susi is confident in her own passions and interests, happily taking Sam through her favourite records and novels while positively explaining the genres of the fantantastical stories she’s interested in. Sam, who has spent his life trying to conform to the rules and regulations of institutions, has little understanding of such individualised interests. When asked if he likes music, he simply shrugs impassively, suggesting that he’s never had the opportunity to develop his own tastes. Instead, he challenges Susi for taking out too many library books and ultimately accuses her of stealing. It seems as if Sam cannot relate to the idea of self-expression through art, and only sees the rigid question of whether his friend broke the rules.
Yet, it is clear that Sam is genuinely curious and is trying to learn from Susi. Despite the fact that they come from very different backgrounds, there is common ground to be had here. They are both overlooked, unloved children that are trying to find their place in the world. They are on each others’ side.
Initially we learn that both of them are struggling to be accepted and understood at home. Despite Sam’s best efforts to get closer to his foster parents, they eventually reject him and prevent his returning home. Meanwhile Susi responds to her brothers’ selfishness and her difficult relationship with her parents by wishing she was an orphan like Sam. The labels of ‘emotionally disturbed’ and ‘very troubled’ are constantly repeated by those around them, making both characters feel like they are unwanted. As such, these labels eventually grow into their identities, a self-image that neither Sam or Susi want to accept. We see this when Sam first meets Susi and notices her bloodied knuckle from punching a mirror.
Yet, in their violent attempts to escape this prescribed identity, both Sam and Susi fall deeper into the perception that they are problematic children. They get into fights, destroy things and disobey authority. Their identities are stuck, which is precisely what both characters fear.
Unsurprisingly, both Sam and Susi respond to their worsening isolation by seeking a different reality, one that accepts them for who they really are. This can be seen in Susi’s unbridled love of fantasy novels and Sam’s passion for painting. They both want to construct a world outside of their own.
This dream comes true as they enact their elaborate plan to trek through the wilderness and find a remote tidal inlet. Once they find it, they have, for a brief moment, completely removed from civilization. They finally feel as if they belong, that this is their land. ‘This is our land’. In the newly-created society, dreamily named Moonrise Kingdom, both characters are finally free to express who they really are. Sam Indulges in his burgeoning passion for painting whilst Susi reads her fantasy books and listens to her favourite music. Sam even feels safe to remove his immaculate scout uniform and, after being encouraged by Susi, break out into a chaotic dance. In this new world, self-expression is encouraged and accepted, not seen as a sign of ‘trouble’ or ‘disturbance’.
Yet, all good things must come to an end. Society eventually catches up with the two fugitives and forces rigid discipline back on to them. Social Services is called and the threat of further, more sinister institutionalisation is directed at the disorderly Sam. Meanwhile Susi is chastised for being stupid and overly emotional.
However, rather than just returning to their old ways, it is clear that both Sam and Susi are changed from their short-lived stay in Moonrise Kingdom. For starters, Susi seems to have learned what’s really troubling her. She doesn’t really hate herself – as she previously may have thought, but rather she hates her mother for having an affair with Captain Sharp, and the subsequent breakdown of her parents’ relationship. The effects of this strained home life are devastating and probably caused her antisocial behaviour.
Therefore, when her mother then finds the book about ‘troubled children’ and shares a knowing glance with Susi, the viewer is left to wonder who is really ‘troubled’ here. Is Suzy a ‘troubled child’ in of herself, or is she just the result of troubled parents? The same question is asked by her father earlier in the film. 30:30, how can we help her, she’s got so many problems, who’s fault is it? Suzi now seems to believe it’s the fault of her parents, and this allows her to finally break free of that identity-defining label. There is nothing wrong with her. ‘There is nothing wrong with that’
Meanwhile, Sam’s return to society can be seen through a gradual acceptance of who he really is. Far from the “emotionally disturbed” and “unpopular” child we met at the start of the movie, Sam starts to gain respect as a talented scout, an identity that he has long sought. Similarly to Susi, his troop now recognise that Sam’s faults are not really his own, but rather a result of his status as an unloved orphan.
Yet instead of returning to his now much more accomodating troop, Sam decides that he wants to leave the organisation altogether. This can be seen as the result of Susi’s influence. In her self-assured nature, Susi has shown that you don’t need to conform to a group to be accepted, you just need to express yourself through your interests and passions for others to appreciate you.
This is exactly what he does when talking to Captain Sharp. The two share a conversation as equals, each being vulnerable and honest about their experiences of life and love. Captain Sharp is impressed by Sam’s maturity and intelligence which ultimately leads to him being adopted and finally gaining a real parent.
This journey of self-realisation is illustrated by Sam’s progression as an artist. When first sending letters to Susi, Sam’s drawings are crude and unimaginative, mostly depicting trees and telephone poles, yet Susi sees his talent and encourages him to keep painting. At the end of the film, we see Sam’s painting of ‘Moonrise Kingdom’ which is much more refined and more meaningful than a simple telephone pole. Thanks to Suzi, Sam has learned to use his creative talent as a form of self-expression.
At the same time we see Sam is once again in uniform, but this time it is the uniform of his adoptive father. Does this mean that he’s just gone back to conforming to an institution once again? Perhaps, but this time it is the institution of a real family, rather than a substitute for a family, something that Sam has longed for all his life and doesn’t stop him being himself.
Through rebelling against their set identities, both Sam and Susi have been able to redefine the image of themselves in the eyes of others and wider society. Self-expression has allowed them to finally rid themselves of the damaging labels of ‘troubled’ and ‘emotionally disturbed’, and finally come to peace with themselves as brave and self-confident children.
Leave a Reply