Review of The Florida Project

For me I didn't immediately click with the story but the quality which caused this barrier early on ultimately became of one the films main assets. This film is unique in its presentation of the events and whilst I tried to catch hold of a thread of narrative I soon realised the film is less of an actual story and more of an immersive dip into a very particular world. Once you become familiar with the tone it is much easier to appreciate the film as an observant piece of art. The film follows a community living within a low-cost motel struggling to keep a head above water in a world where the basic needs are met in a haphazard way. More importantly, the film captures the ingenuity from both the children and the adults to create good times and how they relish the freedom within a ruleless micro-society. The story loosely follows a young mother called Halley (Bria Vinaite) trying to keep up with her weekly rent as her charming yet anarchic daughter Moonee (Brooklyn Prince) turns the run down town into a playground and chance for exploration. A lot of the films energy comes from the exceptional performance by Prince who manages to capture so many qualities of childhood so perfectly that I found her performance to be almost nostalgic. Her performance was not just naturalistic it also expressed an inner maturity that comes from a challenging upbringing where no hardship is hidden. Halley at one point resorts to taking bikini shots in order to sell herself online and involves Moonee in fun of the photography process. Interestingly when moments like this occur the film doesn't tonally condemn her actions. What is presented is an interesting documentary-like style that conveys the extreme and unhealthy parenting methods from mother Halley but without inferring any judgment either way. The film seems to shine a sympathetic spotlight however on all the characters through Willem Defoe’s Character ‘Bobby’ who runs the Motel. Bobby is conflicted through his duty to collect rent and maintain order but is almost a vehicle for the film to express a strong empathy towards the characters who act out against the system but are unable to change their status.   

Whilst everything in ‘The Florida Project’ feels uncontrived and raw the action is surrounded by garish colour and quirky backdrops. A lot of the shots in the film where taken from down low and often you where able to take a child's perspective in the scene. The choices made with lurid building colour's and clothes effectively show the world through a child's eye, viewing everything as an opportunity for imagination and adventure whilst remaining oblivious to the hardship of the real world. 

The detail in this film is breath-taking there are so many small touches made with props or script which make the events feel so real to watch. If this film was a picture you could zoom in for miles and still find details that make up this richly constructed world.