the kids here are grown-ups, and the grown-ups are kids -- it's role reversal, playing on Anderson's trademark of adult adolescence.

there's more gravity to the kids' actions (they fight with guns and knives; the adults throw shoes at each other), and they possess a candidness we seem to lose as adults. kids are direct -- Sam and Suzy speak their feelings, even if they harm. contrast that with the incompetent adults, who talk around their issues or keep them internalized with an audio diary. the chase for Sam and Suzy, coupled with a Biblical act, finally make few of them confront the difference.

as far as the aesthetic -- and that's a big part of every Anderson movie -- the visual storybook style is perfect. more reined in than some of his past work, and helped by a focus on kids (who play better to his idiosyncrasies than adults).

so far, my favorite film of the year.