‘The Florida Project’ Blu-Ray Second Opinion: A Melancholy Story About Poverty

Last year’s The Florida Project, directed and co-written by Sean Baker, is a story about poverty and the innocence of childhood, blending both into an incredibly memorable experience.

THE FLORIDA PROJECT BLU-RAY REVIEW

The Florida Project‘s tagline – “Welcome to a magical kingdom.” – is a nod to its namesake state’s Disney World resort. The park’s presence is felt throughout the movie, looming over the daily happenings of Halley, her daughter and most of the people they socialize with.

Set during the summer, Halley and several others live in Disney World’s seedy backsides, barely managing to pay their rent to keep their residency in the run-down Magic Castle Motel. This misfortune isn’t just limited to their makeshift home, either – the strip of dilapidated buildings and unkempt properties that compose the movie’s set pieces are similarly bedraggled, emanating a sense of neglect. This isn’t a nice place to live nor to raise children, and the nearby attraction serves as a reminder of that.

Halley, played by greenhorn actress Bria Vinaite, is the struggling single mom of the six-year-old Moonee (Brooklyn Prince), the de facto protagonist of the film. While Halley’s love for her daughter is genuine, she’s nevertheless not in a position to be an effective authority figure, acting more akin to a “cool” big sister than an actual parent. Moonee and her friends therefore regularly wonder off without supervision and habitually prank their neighbors – the very first activity we see Moonee engage in is spitting on a car – though the severity in their goofs increases somewhat as the film progresses. Nevertheless, when the film’s narrative is told from Moonee’s perspective, her childhood innocence and obliviousness to The Florida Project’s undertones shine through.

William Defoe’s character, the withered, stern motel manager Bobby, is the emotional anchor that helps contextualize the plight of the rest of the cast. While the actors and actresses all offered fantastic, emotional performances, Defoe’s was arguably the standout; accounting for Bobby’s need to retain a degree of structure in his motel to his sympathy for the kids, Bobby is the most stable and relatable character in the film.

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And the kids certainly have problems they’re lucky enough to be (mostly) unaware of. That’s not to say the movie is oppressive in its presentation – one scene, for example, when Halley celebrates Moonee’s birthday with her and her best friend Jancey (Valeria Cotto) by watching Disney World’s fireworks from afar is sweet and uplifting – but as the perspective switches around between the three protagonists, Moonee’s innocence is contrasted with the adults, who harbor heavy burdens.

As the plot progresses, Halley becomes more desperate to survive, growing steadily more unhinged as her situation grows dimmer. Her crass demeanor puts her at odds with many, and her odd jobs – including prostitution, a job she haphazardly does while Moonee is bathing with the radio on – mar her reputation at the motel. This all accumulates at the end, which bridges Moonee’s and Halley’s narratives together in an incredibly powerful way.

The Florida Project handles the seriousness of its subject matter with tact and care, never once romanticizing, patronizing or diluting it, which is accentuated by ambient use of music and the thoughtful use of composition and color. The special features, including the 22-minute “Under the Rainbow” documentary and cast interviews, discuss the creation of the movie and the fine line the crew had to tread in handling its message.