The Florida Project

This film immerses us into the world of lower-class people in Florida who ironically are staying in a cheap hotel next to of Disneyworld, where a set of four magic band bracelet tickets goes for $1600. There are excellent performances all around, especially from Brooklynn Prince, who plays a tough, mouthy, and yet sweet little girl with an arresting honesty. The character is just six but in many ways seems older, growing up too quickly while left mostly on her own to roam around with her friends. It doesn't take long to feel sorry for the children in this situation, with no structure or guidance, and horrible role models. In ten years we can easily imagine the little girl grown up to be a similar mother, and ten years ago we can imagine how the mother must have grown up. Without even a hint of this message from director Sean Baker, who shows masterful restraint, we see how hard it is for someone to rise out of the lower class or a difficult upbringing - not impossible, but not easy. The film may be an ink blot test though, because I can also imagine the response of them getting what they deserve, since the mom doesn't get a job as others around her do, runs scams, and resorts to prostituting herself, and I have to say, feeling empathy for her is a real test. Just watching how poorly she behaves is one of the turn-offs to the film, even if it's honest. The little girl is easy to feel sorry for because she's still just six; this is what happens with awful parents. But the mother was also likely brought up in a difficult environment, so the film begs the question of what to do about vicious cycles like this while wisely not attempting to answer it. Instead it just gives us reality, as cringe-inducing as it may be at times. I loved how it was edited, with cuts tending to shorten scenes. I think that was a wise move, since a lot of the film is simply showing us a series of vignettes without the machinations of a big plot, and this kept it from lagging. I also loved the character Willem Dafoe played - what a tough job he has, and yet he's a model of empathy and kindness, an absolute angel under the façade of a grizzled hotel manager, never judging anyone. He plays the part perfectly too, without embellishing it with sweetness or anything that doesn't feel completely authentic. How it resolves is great too, because you can see both the tragedy and the need for it, after everything we've seen.

It's only fitting that in the shadow of the corporate mouse...a society of people who live on the fringe would exist. In Florida (specifically Orlando) the desperate existence thrives on people who go off the beaten path...and actually get lost. That is where Halley (newcomer Bria Vinaite) and her daughter Moonee (played by another newcomer Brooklynn Prince) exist. Halley...seems to be a club kid who got knocked up by a man who shortly abandoned her. In some tribal/white trash code of religion, it seems she thought having a child would make her grow up. Not quite. Because the princesses' castle is within reach, it's still a world away. And that is heartbreaking. Imagine being a person unable to grow up (like what Disney promotes). Those dreams withered and died, but the worst residual effects remained. Which is the Magic Castle. A hovel of a (what one unsuspecting tourist calls a "gypsy project") dump managed by Bobby, played wonderfully sympathetic character Willem Dafoe. Bobby patiently overlooks the ship of fools and sometimes, babysits, though by default. Most who live there have feral children who explore the grounds and beyond out of boredom. The residents here are...they are who you think should live there. Look, this film is about character. There is zero plot, so don't go looking for a story. The reality of the people who live here are brutal. Like...on edge scary where you're not entirely sure you want anyone to exist here. But they do. Moonee is a lovely little girl caught up in an adult world she doesn't fully comprehend, but is forced to deal with. Halley is obviously a broken toy herself. And in a very quiet effective scene, we see glimpses of Halley coming to terms with what the world requires of her as parent ("pepperoni costs money"). This is art at it's highest degree. A well paced, sometimes hilarious glimpses of life at the fray. I really hope Willem DaFoe gets nominated for an Oscar. There is a moment in the film where he becomes the knight in shining armor, unbeknownst to the complaining tenants of the complex. Essentially protecting their children from the monsters that are within grasp. And no one thanks him for it. His character Bobby just wants to make it to the end of the day like everyone else. But he is also...us watching and wanting to hug these people hard.

I just got my heart ripped out. The end is painful and brutal and soul sucking. I'm actually editing this review 10 hours later. I fell asleep thinking about this film and I woke up thinking about it. Bria Vinaite was truly amazing and Brooklynn Prince will make you feel some stuff. A work of art.

This movie would have been excellent with an alternate ending: 1) William Dafoe, wild-eyed and crazy, machine gunning the white trash waste product and her little little snot of a hopeless offspring, or 2) White trash waste product and her brat getting run over by a tractor trailer driven by Jim Jarmusch at the intersection of US Highway 192 and Interstate Four, or 3) A 50 megaton nuclear weapon detonated at the apex of Cinderella's Castle instead of the daily fireworks presentation at Walt Disney World. The actual ending was a soggy milquetoast of sentimental hogwash, demoting this movie to the level of a Hallmark Channel one dimensional dumbo dorky end wrap, sanitized for your protection as a feature presentation to be mulled over by movie critics and the Academy. To be honest, this movie hit a sweet spot for me in my most intense hatreds: The State of Florida and children between the ages of zero and 21. How I ever sat through all of it is a complete mystery to me. Obviously, I was waiting for one of the alternate endings!