The Florida Project (2017) Dir: Sean Baker
- Ridley Coote
- May 19
- 3 min read
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I have had my eyes on this sophomore production by indie filmmaker Sean Baker since long before the mass success of his third feature film; 'Anora'. This piece of American social realism has been highly lauded by fans of independent cinema, and looked like it would be more than worth exploring. Cinephiles seem to adore this film, so I was fairly certain I'd like it too.
This might just be one of the prettiest films about living in poverty you'll see. As is often the case with independent cinema, there was a lot of handheld camerawork, which is very much the style of social realism and indeed of Sean Baker. There were so many pretty and interesting shots throughout the film, and the deliberate focus changes gave the film a sentimental, dreamlike effect.
The amount of soul in this film was quite astonishing, although I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised, considering the man who made the film. At its heart, its a film about people trying to make the best out of their unfulfilling and difficult lives, and the decision to do this through a child's eyes was a judicious one. The innocence and naivety of childhood was so succinctly expressed, particularly in such an environment.
The story's portrait of working class life was indicative of many of the wider social issues in contemporary America. There was no clear narrative, rather, the film aimed to show a slice of modern life, which it did excellently. At times, the film was genuinely heartbreaking in its realism. The compassion and empathy shown towards a child's life in such a scenario was beautiful in a bitter-sweet way, particularly because of how well Baker showed her perspective versus the stark reality of her situation.
Brooklynn Prince gave a brilliant, lovable, charismatic, and effervescent performance in her starring role. This was really quite special from Prince, in my opinion. She captured the complete lack of care or knowledge of the adult world just about perfectly, and her on-screen chemistry with the other child actors in particular was so believable and so adorable.
Bria Vinaite, who was debuted in a fairly substantial leading role, was genuinely superb. Her acting was so believable, it was easy to forget that she was actually performing. She had unexpectedly good comedic chops too; I really enjoyed her dry, often slightly cheeky, delivery of certain lines. Everything she said and did felt like something her character would do, which is testament to both the writing and Vinaite's acting.
Willem Dafoe was a wonderful servant to this film. I read another review which said that he was truly "Willem Dafriend" in this role, which felt very apt indeed. He had such a paternal presence to his acting that really suited the character, and helped to form an unlikely but very well-rounded father-daughter dynamic with Vinaite.
The supporting cast were all very strong, with the best performances being provided by the likes of Christopher Rivera, Valeria Cotto, Mela Murder, and Caleb Landry Jones. I have to give particular praise to the two young actors, Rivera and Cotto, who were wonderful, especially in their scenes with Prince.
Overall, this was truly a treat for the movie lovers. It was full of hard-hitting, emotional storytelling, great performances, and some very pretty cinematography. It was utterly spellbinding at times, especially when the emotions were turned up a notch and the actors really came alive. What a transfixing and memorable piece of independent cinema this was.
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