Review of The Florida Project (2017) by Joey R — 26 Jan 2018

The only reason I watched this movie was because of all the critical acclaim it was receiving but I'm so happy that I did. This movie wrecked me, broke me and then left me in pieces. No regrets though.

This movie is told from the kids POV, especially Moonee's perspective. This kinda makes the depressing premise of the movie kind of bearable since Moonee is an incredibly resilient child, I kind of feel that even-though the reality of her situation is terrible, the director makes us believe that she is oblivious to the conditions she lives in as she is portrayed as this rambunctious little girl who can never stay still and is always getting herself into trouble. There are so many subtle poignant scenes in this movie, my favorite was when Moonee and Chancey are sitting on a fallen tree and Moonee says "You know why this is my favorite tree? Because it's tipped over but it's still growing"..that moment shows how aware she is of her situation, how broken down and dysfunctional her life is..and this tiny 6 year old girl is hyper aware of that....broke my heart.

The film never looks down on the inhabitants of the motel, I didn't feel for a second that this movie was telling me "Ohhh look at these poor people", it rather objectively observes them, it almost feels like a documentary. One can argue that there is no real plot in the traditional sense but every scene feels just right, like it's meant to be there.

I know many people despised the ending but I think it was the best part of the movie, it's both absolutely beautiful and utterly devastating. It really showcased the resilience of a child's mind, how little Moonee desperately wanted the happy ending she deserved but knew she would never get. The break of shooting style and quality, whilst mandatory for the director to film inside Disney, also showcases the break from reality..that this isn't real...that Moonee is probably being taken by CPS at this moment. We didn't need to see it to know it's going to happen, it was inevitable but by showing us the fantasy, the film stays true to telling the story from Moonee's perspective.

This was such a terrific film, the girl who plays Moonee deserves way more recognition that she has gotten so far. (that crying scene alone deserves a gazillion oscars).