4/4 Stars

Recommendation: Must see for movie lovers.

Optimal viewing: By yourself so that you don’t get embarrassed when you cry.



Six year old Moonee (Brooklyn Prince) is a precocious, vibrant girl. She is incredibly confident and not afraid to be “bad.” She spits on strangers’ cars, she throws “fucks” and “bitches” at adults, and she lights things on fire. Her young mother, Halley (Bria Vinaite), falls more on the encourage side of the spectrum than the discipline side.

When new neighbor “Grandma” Stacy insists that Moonee clean up a mess she has made, Moonee makes a game out of doing so. Stacy is upset, claiming, “it’s not supposed to be fun.” Halley tells her to relax and to let Moonee have a good time. The two women realize that they have differing ideas about what is respectful and what’s not. In another movie, this would lead to an escalation in conflict. In The Florida Project, the two women become friends. The film looks at its (very) flawed characters kindly. It does not condemn them for their behavior, but forces us to accept that the people behind that behavior are as valuable as we are.

The Florida Project is a summer seen through the eyes of Moonee as she navigates Orlando, Florida and the shadow of Disney World. Halley and Moonee are very poor, but their poverty is not dramatized. There are no big speeches about what it means to be poor. There are no Tiny Tim, poor-but-dignified moments. Halley’s struggle to make money is treated simply as fact. She buys perfume wholesale and attempts to resell it to country club members. There is desperation in this act, but Moonee doesn’t see it. It’s just how her mom makes money.

Halley and Moonee live in a budget motel managed by Bobby (Willem Dafoe). During the day, Halley mostly sits around in her room, smoking and watching TV. Moonee heads off into town with her friend Scooty and gets into all sorts of childish fun. Eventually, they adopt a young girl named Jancey into their humble group. Jancey has just moved into Futureland, the motel next door (“Live in the future, today!” the sign dryly reads. There is nothing remotely futuristic about the motel, which looks like it was last updated in the 60s).

As the new member of the group, Jancey functions for a while as an audience surrogate. Jancey gets shown the ropes by Halley and Scooty, who explain how to get “free” ice cream and other goodies. The dialogue between the children is by far the most authentic I’ve ever encountered in a movie, putting this year’s It to shame. If Jancey were not present, we would never get an explanation as to what the kids are doing at any given time. There is no place for needless exposition in a film this realistic. As another example of this, at one point Halley says that she “can’t get arrested again.” There is no explanation or follow up on this statement, and none is needed. The stakes for Halley are very real; the point is made.

One of my favorite exchanges of the year takes place quietly between Moonee and Scooty in an extreme wide shot. They are walking through a field that has grown over abandoned housing, with Jancey on their heels.

Moonee: “Will you marry me?”

Scooty: “No.”

Moonee: “You may kiss the bride.”

Scooty: “I said no!”

Another memorable conversation revolves around what an orange peel is called. The kids’ conversations are not full of wit. They don’t zing one-liners that would make a stand-up comic proud. The way in which they and the adult characters talk is such a departure from typical Hollywood-speak that it is actually a bit jarring. This gives the film a documentary feel, despite being beautifully shot and very deliberate.

The relatively slow pacing of The Florida Project feels like a summer day, with dramatic moments bookended by long periods of time in which “nothing” happens. I put nothing in quotes here because things are constantly occurring – Moonee and Scooty get waffles, they observe topless sun tanners, they turn off the power in the apartment complex – but most of these things are not advancing the plot in the traditional way. Instead they provide a sense of character and experience, making us feel like we have joined the gang for the summer. They also open the door for the more conventional plot-moving moments to feel organic and important.

Disney World is a vital element of the movie. Halley and Moonee are obviously too poor to go there, but it nevertheless has a huge impact on their lives. They navigate roads with names like “Seven Dwarves Drive,” cheerful distractions for tourists that do not brighten the lives of the city’s poor in any way. A typical six year old might be delighted by such a name. Neither time that Moonee is on that street does she comment on it. Helicopter tours for tourists are constantly happening near their hotel, and whenever a helicopter flies by, Halley and Moonee show it their middle fingers. This is resentment for the relatively rich folks that come through the revolving turnstiles of their city, treating it as a destination spot. It is a hell for those like Halley that are struggling to stay afloat.

That being said, the wonders of Disney World are not lost on Halley and Moonee. One of the film’s most beautiful moments comes in an impromptu birthday party that is set to the backdrop of a Disney fireworks show. The show is viewed from outside of Disney property. The film wisely sidesteps the easy choice of consistently harping on the contrast between the magic of Disney World and the harsh realities of Halley and Moonee’s life. While that dynamic is relevant and unavoidable, director Sean Baker handles it with subtlety instead of exploiting it.

Willem Dafoe’s manager Bobby is a shining beacon of humanity in the film. He treats Halley with understanding, respect, and compassion, three things that she does not get enough of. Some people will see Halley’s behavior and think that she is undeserving of these things, but The Florida Project argues that everyone is worthy of them. It is tempting to want to shake Halley and tell her that many of her problems are of her own doing, and that their solutions are obvious. However, Halley clearly does not want a life of poverty. The way out of such a life may be obvious to many of us, but if it were obvious to Halley, she would not still be trapped in it. It is no coincidence that the working title for Disney World was “The Florida Project.” The beautiful life that Halley and Moonee dream of has not yet become a Disney World for them. It is still a Florida Project.

Directed by Sean Baker

Screenplay by Sean Baker and Chris Bergoch

Starring Brooklyn Prince, Bria Vinaite, and Willem Dafoe