The Florida Project

Poverty is a shit hole!

Especially for those who are sick, or have a disease. They are forced to live on a very small amount of money, and it is not their own fault. Of course, there are poor people who appreciate the small things in life, when they actually feel happy about some things in life. Life is hard, and you have to work for everything. Bills, health care, food, clothes, transportation, everything costs money, so the best secure you have is having a job. Then we have the poverty people who does not want to work. Or the people who want to make money, doing criminal activities. And one film that struck my mind, is the film Frozen River from 2008. A very strong crime drama, directed by Courtney Hunt, about 2 women who try to make money, smuggling illegal immigrants into America. Melissa Leo in the lead role as Ray Eddy, a desperate discount store clerk, does one of the best performances in her career. This film clearly showed how desperate poor people will do anything, to make sure they can survive. Another film i still remember is Time Out Of Mind, a 2014 film where legendary actor Richard Gere does a really good performance as the homeless man George. A sad film, about how hard life can be when you don´t have a home, no food, no money, and no self respect. I actually think this is one of the highlights of Richard Gere film career, even if not many people have seen the film. I suggest you check it out on dvd, or blu ray. A lot of films have portrayed people on welfare, having economical problems, or living in poverty. I think this is very important, that film makers can show how life can be, outside all the glamour and all the fancy houses. There is a lot of people out there who barely have food to eat, or any money to pay their bills. While reading Empire Magazine back in November of 2017, i came across a movie review of The Florida Project. The review was really clear, this is a film you have to experience. I finally got a chance to see the film, knowing that this could be something special. Is this one of the best drama films in a long time, or is The Florida Project not as good as so many critics have said it would be ?

Six-year-old Moonee ( Brooklynn Prince ) lives with her young mother Halley ( Bria Vinaite ) in the Magic Castle, a motel in Kissimmee, Florida near Walt Disney World. Moonee plays most of the time with her motel resident-friends Scooty ( Christopher Rivera ) and Dicky ( Aiden Malik ). The kids are stealing, mooching from tourists and cause other problems. Halley have a lot of personal problems, and no money. So she force herself to make money through prostitution, while her daughter Moonee is taking a bath. Motel manager Bobby ( Willem Dafoe ) finds out what she is doing, He warns her about the consequences, since he knows that she is not the best role model for her daughter. Halley does not listen to anyone, but will she understand the serious situation, before it is too late ?

The Florida Project shows a completely different side of life in Florida. You would think it is all palm trees, pools and nice houses, but this film really digs deep inside the poor communities surrounding Florida. You see broken families, stuck in drugs, without no money, and no future ahead of their children. The kids are frustrated, carrying anger inside, and have no moral behavior. What else can they do when their parents can´t give them safety, and a real home ? The film does a really good job, especially portraying how all the poor family children handle the situation. They play, doing ordinary children games, but they also use other people, and put themselves in dangerous situations. I also feel that this film does a really honest portrait on how especially parents, with no education, and no self esteem, are lost in reality. Especially the mother Halley of the young girl Moonee , played really powerful by actor Bria Vinaite. Her performance is exactly what makes this film so disturbing , a young woman with a destructive behavior and have no idea what children needs. Legendary actor Willem Dafoe does one of his best performances in many years, as the motel manager Bobby. You can tell that his character is trying to do his best, to take care of residents, even if some people have big problems. The cinematography by Alexis Zabe looks really good, and it fits perfect with the story surrounding the film. Director Sean Baker have directed a number of films, where especially his 2015 film Tangerine got a lot of movie critics extremely happy. The film was quickly seen as one of the better films of that year, and i remember reading some of the positive reviews. I have not seen the film yet, but i can tell you that i have to see it. Especially now when The Florida Project is such a powerful film, that you won´t forget. Director Sean Baker manage to both handle dramatic situations in a very professional, realistic way, but he also knows how to make characters feel realistic in poverty society. I can understand why many film critics have nominated The Florida Project as one of the best films of 2017, this film is worth that positive feedback. If you want to see a really powerful film, with a sad look on reality, i suggest that you must see The Florida Project. 

Rating: DDDD