NYFF 2017 // A FILM REVIEW OF "THE FLORIDA PROJECT"
Sean Baker didn't exactly change the game when two years ago he shot his film Tangerine completely on an iPhone, but he challenged the game, pushing for more creative ways of storytelling on smaller budgets. That film told a hilarious and spectacular tale about Transgender Prostitutes and pushed a truly original idea into the indie mainstream. Now with his follow up THE FLORIDA PROJECT he has crafted a lucious, stunning, and heartfelt ode to a broken down hotel and the beautiful and sometimes damaged residents within.
Willem Dafoe is Bobby, the all around "everything" at "The Magic Castle," a roadside hotel. He does everything from managing it to being the handyman and babysitter of the children who run around the place. The kids run around and cause little bits of chaos, but aren't bad kids. They just live in a world where running around a hotel parking lot, kicking around an abandened house, and being a bit of a pain is what kids do during the day. They're growing up in a very different world than most kids and at least have each other and Bobby. The kids are all first time actors and every beat seems like a truly authentic moment. They are living each moment of this film, truly, for the first time. Dafoe's performance is wonderous as well, also alive with spontaneity. Stealing every other moment is another first time actor - Bria Vinaite. She is the parent of one of the rambuncious children in the hotel, often struggling to pay the rent and keep things afloat for her and her little girl. She adores her daughter, even if she doesn't quite know how to be a good example. From her fiery dialogue with Dafoe to her shockingly violent outbursts, she earns your love and breaks your heart.
The Florida Project is all of those things and more. It's less of a narrative film (though there is a loose narritive structure to it) and more of moment after moment of life happening in a broken Disney World. It's a stunning second feature from Baker, and one that will sit with you long after the credits roll.
VERDICT: MUST SEE
SCREENPLAY BY Sean Baker and Bergoch DIRECTED BY Sean Baker STARRING Willem Dafoe, Brooklynn Prince, Valeria Cotto, Christopher Rivera, Bria Vinaite. PLAYING AS PART OF THE 2017 55TH ANNUAL NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL. FOR MORE INFO: https://www.filmlinc.org/