A lady once told me in Orlando. Good ole Uncle Walt. He bought a piece of swamp in Florida and turned it into a tourist magnet. He must have done a deal with the devil as well. Disney World is the only bit round here that has never been directly hit by a hurricane.
The Florida Project is set on the outskirts of Disney. Motels with long term residents who are way down the socio economic scale. Living in the margins of society when others around the world see it as a dream Disney destination.
Moonee, Scooty and Dicky spend the summer very much left on their own devices causing mischief and mayhem with their wild behaviour. Other kids descend to Orlando to visit the theme parks. These kids make their own adventure as going to Magic Kingdom is not an option for them.
They are joined by Jancey who has moved into the neighbouring motel with her grandmother.
Mooney's mum Halley is an exotic dancer who after losing her job becomes an online sex worker. Halley would do anything to survive, selling knock off perfume in car parks to scalping park tickets. Halley would even literally fight for survival and at the end she is is at risk of losing Moonee to social services.
Only Bobby (Willem Dafoe) the manager of the motel is protective of the kids knowing the grown ups are having a hard time to make ends meet.
Director Sean Baker has made a low budget independent slice of life film. In the absence of Dafoe's casting you would think this was a drama documentary. Baker has coaxed astonishing performances from his young cast. It actually made me think how he managed to get such naturalistic acting from the kids.
The film does not have much of a plot and it is still better than many routine films pumped out by Hollywood. It is about the kids living aimlessly who get into constant trouble. There is a scene where Bobby spots trouble and confronts a dirty old man. However Halley's deteriorating issues begin to take a toll on her and Moonee.
There is an element of magical realism with the ending. I had no issue with it and whether it was literal, figurative or metaphorical.
The Florida Project is set on the outskirts of Disney. Motels with long term residents who are way down the socio economic scale. Living in the margins of society when others around the world see it as a dream Disney destination.
Moonee, Scooty and Dicky spend the summer very much left on their own devices causing mischief and mayhem with their wild behaviour. Other kids descend to Orlando to visit the theme parks. These kids make their own adventure as going to Magic Kingdom is not an option for them.
They are joined by Jancey who has moved into the neighbouring motel with her grandmother.
Mooney's mum Halley is an exotic dancer who after losing her job becomes an online sex worker. Halley would do anything to survive, selling knock off perfume in car parks to scalping park tickets. Halley would even literally fight for survival and at the end she is is at risk of losing Moonee to social services.
Only Bobby (Willem Dafoe) the manager of the motel is protective of the kids knowing the grown ups are having a hard time to make ends meet.
Director Sean Baker has made a low budget independent slice of life film. In the absence of Dafoe's casting you would think this was a drama documentary. Baker has coaxed astonishing performances from his young cast. It actually made me think how he managed to get such naturalistic acting from the kids.
The film does not have much of a plot and it is still better than many routine films pumped out by Hollywood. It is about the kids living aimlessly who get into constant trouble. There is a scene where Bobby spots trouble and confronts a dirty old man. However Halley's deteriorating issues begin to take a toll on her and Moonee.
There is an element of magical realism with the ending. I had no issue with it and whether it was literal, figurative or metaphorical.