Cornwall Film Festival // The Florida Project

 

 

Sean Baker's (TANGERINE) latest film is a candyfloss-coloured drama about life in an extended-stay motel just outside Disneyland. Starring Willem Dafoe and six-year-old newcomer Brooklynn Prince, The Florida Project follows six-year-old Moonee (Prince) and her rebellious mother Halley (Bria Vinaite) over the course of a single summer. The two live week-to-week at “The Magic Castle,” a budget motel managed by Bobby (Dafoe), whose stern exterior hides a deep reservoir of kindness and compassion. Despite her harsh surroundings, the precocious and ebullient Moonee has no trouble making each day a celebration of life, her endless afternoons overflowing with mischief and grand adventure as she and her ragtag playmates—including Jancey, a new arrival to the area who quickly becomes Moonee’s best friend—fearlessly explore the utterly unique world into which they’ve been thrown. Unbeknownst to Moonee, however, her delicate fantasy is supported by the toil and sacrifice of Halley, who is forced to explore increasingly dangerous possibilities in order to provide for her daughter.