"The Florida Project" Review
You might want to avoid this movie if you're a parent.
"The Florida Project" is from writer/director Sean Baker (Tangerine) and follows the story of a little girl (Brooklynn Prince) who lives with her neglectful but loving mother (Bria Vinaite) in a rundown motel run by Willem Dafoe (literally the MVP). What unfolds is this brutally realized portrayal of urban decay that Baker continues to capture so well that's on the same level as contemporaries like Andrea Arnold (Fish Tank & American Honey). We see things through the point of view of the kids while crazy shit happen to the adults and it's performed extremely well from these amazing young actors, and Vinaite (who was literally just a woman they discovered on Instagram). Also Willem Dafoe is awesome and is an incredibly inspiring piece of casting. The movie makes things more interesting by setting the main location a short walk away from Disney World, the place where dreams come true. You know what I mean. Symbolism. Simple, effective, and blunt symbolism.
There's one point where the movie just kind of went, fuck it, and I think I get what it's trying to do. It's similar to what someone like Truffaut did in The 400 Blows but with less gracefulness but may end up feeling just as cathartic. It's intentional and if it's causing as much controversy as it is, I think it has the potential to become a classic years from now. It may work for you if you see it but it didn't for me. That being said, this movie is amazing.