Canada: Friday, October 13, 2017
A24
for language throughout, disturbing behavior, sexual references and some drug material
http://a24films.com/films/the-florida-project
Set on a stretch of highway just outside the imagined utopia of Disney World, The Florida Project follows six-year-old Moonee (Brooklynn Prince in a stunning breakout turn) and her rebellious mother Halley (Bria Vinaite, another major discovery) over the course of a single summer. The two live week to week at "The Magic Castle," a budget motel managed by Bobby (a career-best Willem Dafoe), whose stern exterior hides a deep reservoir of kindness and compassion. Despite her harsh surroundings, the precocious and ebullient Moonee has no trouble making each day a celebration of life, her endless afternoons overflowing with mischief and grand adventure as she and her ragtag playmates - including Jancey, a new arrival to the area who quickly becomes Moonee's best friend - fearlessly explore the utterly unique world into which they've been thrown. Unbeknownst to Moonee, however, her delicate fantasy is supported by the toil and sacrifice of Halley, who is forced to explore increasingly dangerous possibilities in order to provide for her daughter.
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User Reviews
Public Reviews - 1 Reviews
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Karen C. - Rated it 5 out of 5
This movie is an exposé on the seedier side of existence for the disenfranchised, abandoned, or mentally ill and impoverished. I am still worried about the outcome for Moonie, the main protagonist. Willem Dafoe plays a powerful role as a caring "slum manager", but the children are the true stars of this haunting and harrowing film. We see their world, such as it is, through their eyes, and while the urban landscape at the edge of the "Magical Kingdom" is not child or family-friendly in any way, it is the disastrous mothering by an out-of-control and desperate woman that will shake the viewer to the core. Moonie has not lived long enough to lose her baby teeth, yet she is entrenched in a dysfunctional existence that has erased all traces of innocence in her childhood. I dread to think what will become of her ten years down the road. This film will tug at your heart-strings at the same time as it enrages you. I think it is a "must-see", and encourage you to crack open to more empathy for our less-fortunate and at-risk fellow travelers in this world.
