While some complain that Wes Anderson’s films resemble the work of a precocious child, it’s hard to deny something magical happens whenever he takes on the subject of youth. Rushmore is a modern classic of coming-of-age cinema; The Royal Tenenbaums watches as bonds formed as children are tested during adulthood. Even by those films’ standards, Moonrise Kingdom feels like a breakthrough, the apex and refinement of the director’s pop-up style.

The plot is simplicity: 12-year-old Cub Scout Sam (Jared Gilman) falls for same-aged misfit Suzy (Kara Hayward). Together they run away on a New England island in 1965, following his daring, Shawshank-like escape from a summer camp.

Anderson generously cedes centre stage to the two newcomers, both sensational. The supporting cast members – including a relaxed Bruce Willis, Tilda Swinton sporting a pillbox hat and Bob Balaban delivering weather updates – function as instruments in an ensemble, each chiming in with a particular comic note. Shooting on Super 16, often in graceful tracking shots, Anderson has also never made a movie as visually fluid as this one; you’d need several viewings to take in all the sight gags. Moonrise Kingdom has an alchemical hilarity that is difficult to explain or reduce. That’s enough to wear down the defences of a wavering fan – indeed, of even the most jaded adult.