Grade: A
Once in a blue moon, a movie comes along that exists in a realm of its own. It is uniquely made, but plays so satisfyingly that it makes conventional “normal” movies look generic and inferior in comparison. Birdman had that effect on me three years ago, and this year, I feel the same way about The Florida Project. Last night, I’d initially planned on streaming only the first half hour, and working my way through it in increments. I devoured the whole thing in one sitting. There is no score except for the last scene, it’s minimal on plot, but I could not stop watching it and I likely would have sat through another hour.
Director Sean Baker has given The Florida Project an almost documentary type feel. This is a movie that is more about situations than stories. It takes us into the world of cheap motels in Orlando, on the outskirts of Disney. You’d only find yourself there if everything else was booked, you made a mistake, or you’re not well off and need to establish residency there. There is a funny scene where a honeymooning couple, thinking they are staying at the Magic Kingdom, receives a rude awakening when they are instead brought to the Magic Castle, where most of the film is set. The central characters are Halley, a single mother with her 6 year old daughter Moonee. We follow Moonee for much of the movie, as she and her friends from the Magic Castle and the place next door get into mischief and annoy the grownups, while Halley smokes and watches TV in the room, while occasionally taking in a male visitor in exchange for money or whatever she can steal to resell – Magic Bracelets, in one unwitting man’s case. The patient but firm, hardworking, honest, tolerant manager Bobby is played to perfection by Willem Dafoe, who is nominated for an Oscar for this performance. He is the reliable thread that holds these sometimes disjointed episodes together. Brooklynn Prince is awesome as Moonee, and making her film debut as Halley is 24-year-old Bria Vinaite, who the director discovered on Instagram. This child actress and new actress hold their own spectacularly with Dafoe, a seasoned pro who is always great.
If you are expecting a polished, maudlin, saccharine, syrupy-sweet drama about poor people, The Florida Project would not be it. Director Sean Baker sidesteps all the potential cliches, and shows us you don’t need the usual bells, whistles, or Hollywood gloss. I can’t wait to see what his career will bring us in the future. What a fascinating, hypnotic, magical cinematic experience this is – set just outside the most magical place on earth.
Grade: A
Film Reviews by Mark 
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