The Florida Project

nothing happened and everything happened simultaneously

this movie explores the mind of a child, who even though is portrayed by a young actress, still brings to life the whimsical world she is experiencing. the thought-provoking story, heart wrenching acting, and beautifully vibrant cinematography makes you feel like a kid again.

love this movie can even explain it jus a comfort movie

9.5 - No discredit to Anora, but this is Sean Baker’s masterpiece.

The blend of emotions as these kids run around & cause (mostly minor) trouble, & just live, while the adults in charge of them struggle & fight every day is incredible writing. The number of “ahhh” moments - from some of the meals, the tree scene, the magic bands sale, the guy coming back for the bands, & the gut-wrenching conclusion absolutely blew me away. I felt like knew early on what (depressing) direction this was hurtling but I was still surprised right & left along the way.

I spent my college years not far from this area, spending quite a few weekends around Orlando & so this all felt sadly familiar, but of course it was also absolutely a privilege check that I never even thought about people struggling in these ways as I interacted with wholesale street resellers, drove by apparently seedy motels, or saw groups of kids just wandering up & down the roads in the summer.

The closing scenes also hit especially hard as a current foster parent. I’ve met kids & families in similar circumstances. These situations are never easy & are often terribly depressing & stressful. And sometimes just knowing that the parent is trying their best is all you need to know. I respect Baker’s writing here & Bria Vinaite’s portrayal of Halley taking any black & white out of what it’s like to raise a kid in these situations.

Lastly, Brooklyn Prince instantly rockets up my list of all time child performances. So many of her singular deliveries were responsible for so many of the emotional beats & revelations in this story. Absolutely powerful. And she held her own against one of my now favorite Willem Dafoe performances - an incredibly gentle & real performance; one that you don’t see out of him typically.

It’s striking & heavy, & will absolutely hang with me for a few days, which is about the best compliment I can give a movie.

8.4 - nothing happened and everything happened simultaneously. very realistic depiction of a life that a lot of people relate to

I love Williem Defoe