Review #1,382: 'The Florida Project' (2017)

Sean Baker made his mark in 2015 with Tangerine, a comedy-drama about a transgender prostitute searching for their pimp in Hollywood. Originally it was lauded for being filmed on three iPhone 5s, but Tangerine eventually emerged as a powerful piece of work that gave a voice to a group of characters typically marginalised by society, and in a setting usually reserved for a more glamorous story. Baker continues his terrific work with his follow-up, The Florida Project, and although it boasts the presence of a famous face in Willem Dafoe, the writer/director has lost none of his social insight and gift for squeezing fantastic performances from an otherwise unknown cast. The setting is Florida, just outside of Disney World, where the struggles of the residents of a rather grim motel called the Magic Castle are in stark contrast to the paying tourists just across the road.

While many filmmakers would lean heavily on this metaphor, Baker has too much interest in his characters to make a big deal out of it. His main concerns lie with Moonee (Brooklynn Prince), a fierce little six-year old who, along with her neighbour friends Scooty (Christopher Rivera) and Jancey (Valeria Cotto), turn the areas surrounding the motel into their very own magic kingdom. They convince strangers to hand them money for ice-cream, beg for free waffles, and are generally a nuisance to everybody, especially motel manager Bobby (Dafoe). When we first meet the children, they are covering a neighbour's car with spit, but are soon made to clean up after themselves when the owner catches them in the act. It's rather disgusting to watch, but that's kids for you. Baker doesn't concern himself with weaning out sympathy for his characters, but simply wants to give them a voice. The Florida Project is light on plot but rich in drama. It feels as though any situation can combust at any moment, and this literally becomes the case when the gang come across an abandoned housing project.

Much of this sense of unease stems from Moonee's mother Halley (Bria Vinaite), who has recently lost her job and is forced to resort to more desperate measures to feed herself and her child. She is far from a great mother, or even a nice person, regularly taking advantage of Bobby's forgiving nature as she fails to meet rent deadlines and verbally abusing anybody who questions her. Simply telling it like it is is Baker's priority, and part of what makes The Florida Project so powerful is trying to piece together the path that led these characters to where they are, and how and why society allowed it. However, despite the heavy themes the film explores, this isn't the grey bleakness of Ken Loach. Cinematographer Alexis Zabe is always seeking the brightest part of the frame, whether it be Florida's sunny urban wilderness or a dimly-lit motel room. It makes for a surprisingly joyous experience, and this is helped to a great degree by the performances. Dafoe gives one of the best performances of his career, but its the unknowns who truly impress. Vinaite, who Baker found on social media, stomps her way through the film like a force of nature, and Brooklynn Prince is a truly astonishing find. It's further proof of Baker's keen eye, and it'll be interesting to see where he goes next.


Directed by: Sean Baker
Starring: Brooklynn Prince, Bria Vinaite, Willem Dafoe, Valeria Cotto, Mela Murder
Country: USA

Rating: *****

Tom Gillespie