The film gives viewers insight into what it is like to live in poverty as a child, through artistically inclined cinematography, personal camera angles and being unafraid to expose harsh truths. Last year's best picture Oscar winner, "Moonlight," followed a boy growing up in Miami, living with a drug-addicted mother. A mass shooting left 10 dead in Boulder. The scenes with Laura Dern and the arguments over money feel like Hollywood poverty, but I think it's also a challenge for most movies to accurately portray what it's like to be poor without being condescending, phony or without feeling exploitative. Adults often have to make sacrifices for their children to thrive. Sean Bakerâs The Florida Project, focuses heavily on the âAmerican Dreamâ promise that we were all deceived into believing. When he talks to them, he comes across as a well-intentioned dad rather than just a motel manager. There have been films about poverty. It is ironic that in the scenes where Halley is sacrificing the most (selling perfume for money or stealing Disney wristbands), Moonee is playing with dolls in the tub, a youthful, innocent pastime. In his previous works he has been known to show the more human side of things, and this film is no different. How ‘Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging’ Captured the British Teenage Girl, The Underrated Charms of Indian Animated Gem ‘Printed Rainbow’, Men Donât Turn Women Down: âHeartbreakersâ at 20, BFI Flare ’21 – ‘Firebird’ Is A Melodramatic True Story Of Forbidden Gay Love In The Cold War, Rape and Revenge in the Disturbing ‘Violation’ Offers no Catharsis, How ‘Frances Ha’ and ‘Kikiâs Delivery Service’ Perfectly Depict an Artistâs Struggle, BFI Flare ’21 – Thomas Wilson-Whiteâs Delivers A Slice Of Muted Magic Realism In The Grief-Driven ‘The Greenhouse’. Designed and Developed by PenciDesign, @2018 - PenciDesign. The camera placement, shot size and composition are all done in a way that puts the viewer in the eyes of a child. This film juxtaposes harsh realities with childlike innocence. Learn how your comment data is processed. He thrives on the happiness of his guests but has a soft spot especially for Moonee and Halley. The use of color in this film is spectacular and evokes memories of childhood. Indignities of class, motel culture in the âSunshine Stateâ, behavioural and socioemotional problems are studied in such a modern perspective that it never reaches the point of âpoverty pornâ; a term coined in the 90s that critiques the mediaâs use of images and stories that exploit the lives of societies poorest. Existing in a neo-liberal capitalist world seems much more like a dystopia in which most are left to suffer while a small percentage of society enjoys the benefits of the system. Knowing that she might lose Moonee, she wants to make up for the difficult times they had to go through together and free her from their never-ending financial anxiety. Sean Bakerâs The Florida Project is at once both childlike euphoria and searing poverty. There will be no American Dream that can exist until same propagandaâs advertised luxuries are provided to the same countryâs innocent children from all kinds of minorities, communities and class. Children though may not notice or understand these sacrifices until later in life. From the childrenâs point of view, you see young, single parents struggling to afford necessities for their ⦠Subscribe to CUI Weekly and get a roundup of the week's stories emailed to your inbox every week! Many have pointed out that the garish purple, yellow, green stucco low-rent motels that populate an underclass in the shadow of Disney World is more about the ⦠Friday, March 16 at 7pm âThe Florida Projectâ â directed by Sean Baker | Running time: 1h 52m Warm, winning, and gloriously alive, Sean Bakerâs The Florida Project is a deeply moving and unforgettably poignant look at childhood. By having the audience see this experience through the eyes of a child, the realities of poverty are somewhat toned ⦠Nonetheless, we never see them complaining even when they are homeless for 24 hours, when Moonee gets her iPad sold to pay the weekâs rent or when the constant drone of helicopters ferries wealthy tourists while they canât even have a proper meal. ( Log Out / These colors, in all their loud brilliance, convey the carelessness and happiness of being a child, a striking contrast to the darker realities portrayed. Her happiness doesnât last long though, Halley (or Bobby) are powerless against the forces of the law. and Love, Rosie. What makes this film so effective is the way in which the story is told. 2016 was a year where that theme that was touched upon by many of the years best films. Moonee, with a last dying hope, gets out of the hands of the service workers and finds her friend. In this way, it is a very insightful film. and think âThatâs really terrible, we should do something about that!â But The Florida Project made me feel the problem. Itâs interesting to note that âThe Florida Projectâ was the initial name Disneyland was first planned under. Baker is so cautious with how he tells her story so that the audience cannot judge her or question her parenting, even when it is revealed that she hides Moonee in the bathroom for the duration of her visitors. When she sets a block of condos on fire, Halley acts as childish as she does and runs up to the burning condos to watch the show. Halley and Moonee turn out to be just like most of the residents that belong to the motelâs history; thereâs no spell to save them from their own destruction in the real world. All of these aspects work together to help show the isolation and yet resilience of the children in the face of poverty. There is nothing more striking than listening to a child whoâs unconscious of her familyâs financial condition talking about having her own room and how she would decorate it. The Florida Project takes place in the Magic Castle Hotel, just outside of Disney World, and follows six-year-old Mooney and her friends throughout their summer vacation. Designed and Developed by. The system has already failed them and many others like them. It stars Willem Dafoe, Brooklynn Prince, Bria Vinaite, Valeria Cotto, Christopher Rivera, and Caleb Landry Jones. âThe Florida Project ... avoids the traps of condescension and prurience that ensnare too many well-meaning movies about poverty in America. But somehow, The Florida Project' s poignant exploration of white American poverty and the hidden homeless has been deemed less worthy - despite, ⦠“Most of the characters in ‘The Little Rascals’ were living in poverty, but they decided to focus on the joy of being a kid: the humor, the heart, the resilience.”. The socioemotional problems emerge when the victims of government neglect choose to rebel rather than be complicit. All Right Reserved. They donât resemble each other just because they act the same, itâs because theyâre both at a young age where they can still daydream about the future without taking their current situation into consideration. @2018 - PenciDesign. I believe Baker wanted this to come through when we watch the film. The Florida Project premiered in Directorsâ Fortnight at Cannes in May and went on to screen at Toronto and a multitude of other festivals. "The Florida Project" isn't alone in bringing poverty to the big screen. This movie looks at growing up in poverty almost exclusively from the point of view of children. The sky is bright blue, and the children are small, but we can see them skipping past and hear their voices as though they werenât so small after all. âThe Florida Projectâ isnât alone in bringing poverty to the big screen. âThe Florida Project,â which opens in theaters Friday, is an ebullient, candy-colored movie wrapped around the very real issue of hidden homelessness. The Florida Project, set in a cheap motel near Disney, is one of 2017's best films Sean Bakerâs film is about children and their parents living in poverty. ( Log Out / Overall, this film leaves the audience with a sense of empathy for the struggles of poverty, no matter what background they may come from. Rating: 4/4. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. R | 1h 51min | Drama | 10 November 2017 (UK) 2:15 | Trailer. The Florida Project. Without going hard on the subject of indignities of class, Baker puts the lives of poor people âmostly womenâ on display and shows how exhausting hand-to-mouth existence can get. This happens to be the last draw before she turns to prostitution. Families nationwide are living below the poverty line and eking out an existence in cheap motels, but the problem is particularly acute â and ironic â in the shadows of Walt Disney World. Halley is wearing a grape colored shirt, while Scooty wears neon lime. Often the camera is at eye level with the children, while they are peering over balconies or running toward different spots in the area to play. Though Moonee sees Halleyâs decisions, she doesnât yet understand the significance of what is happening or why these are not normal decisions for a parent to make. Contact editorial staff at Tips@cuindependent.com. “I have been very inspired and influenced by ‘The Little Rascals’ my entire career,” Baker said in an interview. 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