'The Florida Project' Review: The Way This Film Captures The Innocence Of Children Is Beautiful!
π The Florida Project π Review π 9/10 π
I have just been constantly hearing great things about this from most of you, film festivals and from certain critics I follow on social media. I haven't seen Sean Baker's previous effort, Tangerine, so I didn't really have a barometer for what to expect. I can safely say the film works so well on multiple levels. It's incredibly well acted, and utilizes a charming and emotional script to convey an experience you won't forget.
The film follows a young girl named Moonee (played brilliantly by young Brooklynn Kimberly Prince) and her mom who live in an extended stay motel in the shadows of Disney World which is managed by Bobby (Willem Dafoe). Halley (Bria Vinaite), Moone's mother, has trouble making ends meet and does whatever she can to raise her daughter but her brash personality and certain life choices make life extremely difficult for all involved during their stay at the motel. Bobby tries his best to watch over them (and he's so bloody lovely) but he soon realizes how tough it is keeping them as guests.
Its hard to say much more without giving away some key plot points. I really have to say this film is a joyous good time. The kid performers are mostly yelling loudly and running around on adventures, you know, being typical hyper kids. It's done so well though. I think Baker may have legitimately had the child actors improvise their lines because everything felt extremely natural. Newcomer Bria Vinaite, WOW! She is a livewire. Love or hate her character, she is loudly unapologetic, rebellious and just wonderfully portrayed. Defoe is also great, best performance in years!
Baker uses his lenses to study a part of America that is crucially under-represented and with the help of cinematographer Alexis Zabe they captured that perfectly. We don't get a lot of films about struggling families who find it hard to get by, definitely not the typical "Hollywood" character story. The film is definitely going to hit a lot of viewers hard at the end. Its a rather beautiful ending that reflects the innocence of the mischievous but ultimately innocent children. This could really be an Oscar contender!
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