THE FLORIDA PROJECT (2017)

Genre: Drama
Director: Sean Baker
Cast: Brooklynn Prince, Bria Vinaite, Willem Dafoe, Aiden Malik, Christopher Rivera, Valeria Cotto
Runtime: 1 hr 52 mins
Rating: NC16 (Coarse Language And Some Sexual References)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website: https://a24films.com/films/the-florida-project

Opening Day: 1 March 2018

Synopsis: The Florida Project tells the story of Moonee (Brooklynn Prince), a precocious six-year-old and her ragtag group of friends. The children’s summer break is filled with wonder, mischief and adventure while the adults around them struggle with hard times. Our story takes place just outside of Orlando, the vacation capital of the world and home to “The Most Magical Place on Earth.” Along the main highway that runs through the land of theme parks and resorts, budget motels that once attracted tourists by exploiting the Disney mystique, now house homeless families. Moonee and her twenty-two year old mother, Halley (Bria Vinaite), live at one such establishment — The Magic Castle Motel. The closest thing Moonee has to a father is Bobby (Oscar nominee William Dafoe), the motel’s manager, a guarded and diligent man who is taunted by the children’s antics. Halley has lost her job and a new girl the same age as Moonee has moved in at the motel next door - it's going to be an eventful summer.

Movie Review:

It somewhat bothers this reviewer that he hasn’t stepped into Walt Disney World located in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The popular entertainment complex, which includes four theme parks, two water parks, 27 themed resort hotels amongst others, is the most visited vacation resort in the world. And yet, this writer hasn’t contributed to the average annual attendance of over 52 million.

Now that he is past his mid thirties, would this property known as "The Florida Project" when it developed by Walt Disney in the 1960s still bring promise of being the happiest place on earth?

Thanks to independent filmmaker Sean Baker, there is now a chance to revisit what it felt like to be a kid pinning hopes to visit Walt Disney World. Is the film going to paint a pretty picture of magical fun and happily ever afters? We’re afraid not.

Baker, together with writer Chris Bergoch, pen a story about life in a motel in Florida cleverly named The Magic Castle due to its assumedly proximity to Walt Disney World. The protagonist is six year old Moonee, who lives with her young mother Halley in the motel. With the burden of having to pay rent to continue having a roof over their heads, Halley gets involved in selling perfume to tourists illegally, eating stolen food from a restaurant’s kitchen and sadly, prostitution.

Amidst her mother’s shady activities, Moonee finds joy playing with her friends who also reside in motels. The unsupervised children go about their carefree days, being naughty and a nuisance to others. We can imagine most viewers thinking to themselves: “Sure, their mischievous pranks are cute but if that unfortunate incident happens to me, I’ll be very pissed.”

Therein lies the power of this film. While most of us have lived a comfortable life, there is this group of people in the society who are less advantaged. The 111 minute chronicles their day to day activities without resorting to melodrama. You also do not feel that they should be sympathised. It is just a slight melancholic feeling that these children will grow up having ‘inconsequential’ memories instead of what we in this part of the world is used to – bragging rights. “I owned all the latest toys”, “My parents brought me to Europe when I was six”, “I invited my friends to my 10^th birthday party at a theme park” – you get the idea.

In the dark theatre, you watch the story unfold (albeit from afar). Thanks to a child’s imagination, a grass patch behind the motel becomes Disney’s Animal Kingdom and blocks of abandoned condominiums become the Haunted Mansion. The filmmakers have effectively captured the essence of the kids’ pure innocence, and the motel walls’ gorgeous shades of pink and purple add to the experience.

When the sequence of events lead to the movie’s final scene shot secretly using an iPhone 6S Plus without the Walt Disney World’s knowledge, you hear your heart break.

Willem Dafoe (Murder on the Orient Express) delivers a muted performance as a manager who is protective of his motel residents. The 62 year old actor has been receiving accolades from countless film awards, and is nominated by the Academy for a time for Best Supporting Actor. Elsewhere, Bria Vinaite and Mela Murder do a heartfelt job playing mothers trying to make ends meet.

The stars to look out for are the child actors, especially eight year old Broolkynn Price who plays Moonee. Together with Valeria Cotto, Christopher Rivera and Aiden Malik, they remind us what it means to be a child, and embrace the world through their eyes. 

Movie Rating:

(A heartfelt and honest film that captures the worldview from a child’s wondrous perspective)

Review by John Li