Seemingly on a whim, a friend invited me to see The Florida Project. I was told he had seen the trailer nonstop in the coming weeks unto its release and was determined to see it on the big screen. I on the other hand hadn’t heard of it at all, sans maybe a glance at the poster in passing. I decided to go in blind, knowing nothing about the film except that it was recommended by both my friend and the Drafthouse. The title implied it took place in Florida, but it could have easily been a film about removing the state from the union, so I couldn’t trust the title alone. But, true to its name, not only does it take place in Florida, but on some magic tourist mile on the way to the most magical place on earth. Also, it turns out that this may be the only redeemable media that has been produced in Florida in the last decade, and considering this is the story of a young mother and daughter in a state of constant welfare, the bar is already pretty low.

Living off of the state, some grifting, snack food, and a bit of luck, the film follows a Moonee (Brooklynn Prince), a little girl on summer break at that wonderful age when you are stuck in a constant daydream, when even the rain pooling into puddles is mesmerizing. Her mother Halley (Bria Vinaite), young and single with little respect for others and just as few opportunities, scrounges up money to pay the weekly rate at the garishly painted motel, Magic Castle, a place where tourism and local destitute blue collars collide. The motel is managed by Bobby (Willem Dafoe), a caretaker who goes the extra mile to take care of his residents, especially those with children. Stern yet caring, this delicate balance is deftly crafted by Dafoe in a rare, honest performance you rarely get to see on film.

The world could be full of dangers, but you wouldn’t know it to follow Moonee and her friends Scooty (Christopher Rivera) and Jancey (Valeria Cotto), all of which I am sure are performing, but to my eyes (and my nostalgic heart) you simply see a bunch of kids doing what kids do with little supervision: run wild. Much of the perspective of the film is from their point of view. The camera often wanders off with them into fields, abandoned condos, tourist shops, ice cream stands, and behind doors they have no business being in. Because of this, the main plot of the film is often in the back seat, switching perspective to Bobby or Halley when the kids are a content to watch them. If you had to decipher the plot, it would likely be about how a small child copes with an immature mother who isn’t ready for the responsibility of parenthood and the thin social fabric that exists to help people in this predicament. Willing to do anything but join society at large, Halley turns to neighbors and friends for help, failing that grifting and prostitution.

Throughout all of this however, the film never sours. Moonee is unaware of the issues in her life because she’s too young to know the difference. She’s well fed, has friends, and a bed to sleep in at night. Since we are drawn to her perspective, we see how often she inadvertently retreats from the problems in her life. It isn’t sad, it’s just raw and real. Something you might notice with this film is that, after meandering for about 30 minutes, the kids cause a problem that sets up a confrontation between Halley and her close friend Ashley (Mela Murder), mother to Scooty. Traditionally, you might think this conflict would be at the heart of the films plot, but like I said earlier, this film often takes break from the “plot” in favor of setting up character dynamics. It’s more important to the film for you to know WHO these people are and WHY they do what they do rather than simply WHAT they are doing. Today, we expect this process to be somewhat streamlined, but in doing so, we miss a chance to enjoy the atmosphere; there isn’t enough room to let us breath it all in. In that way, this film could be shored up in places, a few scenes cut wouldn’t make it any less of a film in the traditional sense, but it may make it less “art”.

Who would I recommend this film to? Someone who wants a break from superheros, romantic comedies, historical dramas, or any other such mainstream theatrics. The Florida Project is a breath of fresh air despite its moments of raw realism. Director Sean Baker puts on display something I am having trouble defining other than to say he found a vein of real magic and talent. I wouldn’t have imagined you could bottle childhood in such a practical fashion, hiding nothing, not our parents, neighbors, nor silent protectors. In the shadows of the most magical place on earth, he found a story with real heart and a powerful way to portray it.

~* 8.5/10 *~