Review of The Florida Project (2017) by Lisa K — 31 Mar 2018

FIRST, I WILL APOLOGIZE FOR MY CAPS LOCK BEING STUCK AND PLEASE KNOW I AM NOT YELLING.

THIS MOVIE WAS TOUGH FOR ME TO WATCH BECAUSE IT EVOKED PURELY THE MIXED FEELINGS, THE DISTURBED EMOTIONS, THE FRUSTRATION, AND DOWNRIGHT ANGER I've HAD WORKING AS A COMMUNITY-BASED SOCIAL WORKER WITH PARENTS LIKE THE PARENTS DEPICTED IN THIS MOVIE. tHE MOTHER WHO HAS NO CLUE HOW TO PARENT, BUT DOESN'T EVEN SEEM TO CARE, AND IS RUDE, CRUDE, AND SEEMS TO HAVE VERY FEW REDEEMING QUALITIES - OTHER THAN THE FACT THAT SHE IS DOING - IN HER OPINION - THE RIGHT THING BY HER DAUGHTER. tHE KIDS ARE BRATTY - THE MOTHER IS A HORRIBLE HUMAN BEING - THERE IS NO HAPPY ENDING - HELL, THERE ISN'T EVEN AN ENDING. bUT THAT'S LIFE. lIFE DOESN'T HAVE A PLOT. LIFE ISN'T SET OUT FOR US LIKE A BLOCKBUSTER MOVIE WITH A RESOLUTION OR CLOSURE AT THE END. I THINK THAT'S WHY SOME PEOPLE STRUGGLED WITH THIS - BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THEY WANT - ALL THE LOOSE ENDS TIED UP NEATLY WITH A BOW. WHEN YOU WORK IN SOCIAL WORK, YOU START TO REALIZE THAT IS NOT REALITY AND YOU BECOME ACCUSTOMED TO IT AND WORK ON YOUR OWN SELF AWARENESS OF YOUR EMOTIONAL RESPONSES AND JUDGEMENTS. YOU REALIZE YOU MAY NOT EVER BECOME THAT ENLIGHTENED SOCIAL WORKER YOU THOUGHT YOU WOULD BE IN GRAD SCHOOL, BUT YOU KEEP PLUGGING ALONG.

SO YEAH, THE CHARACTERS WERE A STRUGGLE TO EMPATHIZE WITH, THE ENDING FELT WEIRD BUT I GET THE SYMBOLISM. WORKING WITH MOTHERS EXACTLY LIKE HAILLEY, I'VE BEEN THE SOCIAL WORKER WHO FINALLY THREW UP MY HANDS IN FRUSTRATION (AND YES, ANGER) AFTER TRYING TO IDENTIFY STRENGTHS THAT WE COULD WORK WITH IN ORDER TO PRESERVE THE FAMILY UNIT. wHERE I'VE EVENTUALLY HAD TO MAKE THAT CALL TO CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES BECAUSE THE CHILD WAS BEING NEGLECTED, AND THE PARENT WAS USING AGAIN, AND THE PARENT WAS LYING ABOUT USING AGAIN, AND THE KID WAS BECOMING MORE AND MORE DYSREGULATED AND THE PARENT REFUSED TO SEE HOW THEIR BEHAVIOR WAS ADVERSELY AFFECTING THEIR CHILD'S ABILITY TO COPE IN THE WORLD. TRUST ME - IT SUCKS TO HAVE TO MAKE A CPS REPORT WHEN YOU TRY SO HARD (HARDER MANY TIMES THAN YOUR CLIENTS) TO MAKE IT WORK. IT DOESN'T ALWAYS WORK. AND THAT'S WHY THIS MOVIE WAS A CHALLENGE FOR ME. I DESPISED THE HALLEY CHARACTER. I WAS FREQUENTLY ANNOYED BY THE CHILD, WHO WAS AN EXTENSION OF HER MOTHER (WHERE DID THE MOTHER END AND THE CHILD BEGIN?). iT WAS BECAUSE OF THESE FEELINGS THAT I KNEW THE ACTING WAS PRETTY DARN GOOD (SIMILAR TO HOW I COULDN'T STAND DENZEL WASHINGTON IN "FENCES" - HORRIBLE CHARACTER!) I FOUND MYSELF ANNOYED ALSO AT TIMES WITH bOBBY, WHO DID HIS BEST TO REMAIN NEUTRAL AND GET BY THEN ALSO WOULD TRY TO PROTECT HALLEY (WITH THE GOAL OF PRESERVING THE FAMILY UNIT ALSO) UNTIL HE COULDN'T ANY MORE AND CONSEQUENCES WERE IMPOSED.

THIS MOVIE WAS VERY REAL - AND SOME FOLKS WILL NOT WANT TO SEE THAT REALITY BECAUSE IT'S PRETTY UGLY. THE SADDEST PART FOR ME WAS THE SCENE IN WHICH ONE LITTLE BOY AND HIS DAD ARE PACKED UP TO MOVE BACK TO NEW ORLEANS AND DAD TELLS SON HE CAN'T TAKE HIS TOYS WITH HIM BECAUSE THERE'S NOT ENOUGH ROOM IN THE CAR. DAD TELLS THE MOTEL KIDS TO EACH TAKE A TOY AND THE SON TRIES TO PROTEST BUT DAD TELLS HIM HE WILL GET THE BOY NEW TOYS. THAT WAS SO REAL AND SO HEARTBREAKING BECAUSE I'VE SEEN THIS TYPE OF STUFF. WHEN THE PARENT GENUINELY MEANS WHAT THEY SAY BUT YOU KNOW THE CYCLE OF BROKEN PROMISES AND FUTURES CONTINUES.

IT WAS TOUGH TO WATCH. AND UNLIKE THE LEAD CHILD ACTOR IN "BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD" (SOME DEFINITE SIMILARITIES IN STYLE), I HAD A DIFFICULT TIME EVEN REALLY LIKING MOONEE. AND THE TRUTH IS, I'VE HAD SOME KIDS THAT I'VE WORKED WITH THAT I'VE HAD A DIFFICULT TIME LIKING, MUCH LESS TOLERATING. BUT YOU CONTINUE THE WORK. YOU TRY TO FIND THE GOOD.

ASK YOURSELF WHAT REACTIONS THIS DOES OR DOES NOT BRING OUT IN YOU, AND WHY. THIS WOULD BE A GOOD FILM FOR A MOVIE-VIEWING CLUB/DISCUSSION GROUP.