The Florida Project

Looking at Sean Baker's filmography reveals his tendency to tackle underexplored perspectives in our society. Take Out (2004) told the story of a Chinese immigrant, Tangerine (2015) was a tale about a transgender prostitute, and his most recent film The Florida Project (2017) is based around the lives of people living in the impoverished neighborhoods of Kissimmee, Florida. Centering on six-year old Moonee (Brooklyn Prince) and her mother Halley (Bria Vinate) as they try to make it through the Summer, this is a tale meant to showcase the struggles experienced by low income communities.

It starts as a series of vignettes that introduce the characters and the setting before transitioning into a tighter narrative structure in the second act. This is an approach that I am fond of and the film pulls it off quite well though some vignettes are overly long. The hottest point of contention with the movie is its ending which takes a more abstract fantastical style. I found this shift to be jarring and while the intention to leave the story on an open-ended note is understandable it clashes too heavily with the realistic tone of the rest of the project. Resolutions that are up to viewer interpretation can work but not when they veer too far from the thematic and stylistic approach of everything that proceeded it.

Though a consistent throughout the entire production is the strong acting with the child actors Being surprisingly good even when they are given clunky dialogue. Amazon's summary of  The Florida Project declares that Willem Dafoe's role as Bobby, the hotel manager, is a career-best performance and I would agree. Dafoe is well-known for his over-the-top roles that his down-to-Earth portrayal of Bobby allows him to flex his acting skills as he delves into a dramatic role..

Dafoe drops truth bombs better than be drop pumpkin bombs.

On the visual side the biggest standout is the film's color palette which, as you can see by looking at the movie's posters, really pop and standout which helps give the world life and personality while also having symbolic weight. In the text it is pointed out how the motel's owner spent over two million to give the building a vivid purple paint job but will not give Bobby the funds to hire an exterminator for a bedbug infested room. It points out how we often put up fronts and hide our problems in the world around us, but in this quest to gloss over the issues it leads to our flaws growing worse and potentially spiraling out of our control.

Several films that focus on people in poverty feel heavy-handed and preachy but The Flordia Project avoids those trappings thanks to strong direction, good writing, and interesting characters. While the effectiveness of the ending is debatable the strengths of the rest of the movie make it a great watch.