Florida is becoming a new hot spot of american indie film settings, recent films such as 99 Homes and Moonlight have used this location to explore the poverty side of the state we rarely see. The Florida Project is set in Kissimmee, Florida, just outside of the 'Walt Disney World Resort', this film is named after the original title of the development plan for Walt Disney World, the film like the title plays on the absurdity of tourism mixing with the poverty of the underprivileged who reside there.
This film is not the charming, happy go lucky indie film it was advertised to be, but it is rather a brief, but realistic look at the lives of children living in deprived areas, such as long stay motels and hosing projects. The film uses colour for two dramatic uses, one is to portray the juxtaposed dream like setting the characters live in and it's effectively used as a device to see the world through a child's eyes.
'The Florida Project' is not an easy watch, the first 30 minutes are hard to sit through because none of the characters seem likable, however it's to the film's strength that because of the well written and detailed character arcs you begin to sympathise with them later on in the film.
The performances from new comers Brooklynn Prince and Bria Vinaite are brilliantly natural and feel completely earnest and heartfelt. William Defoe provides another excellent charismatic performance. All the performances in this film are a testament to Sean Baker's talents as a "actor's director".
Overall, 'The Florida Project' is a well written, beautifully shot and terrifically cast film which mostly hits the mark, but can sometimes become too distracted by itself to create the amount of impact it desires.
Rating: 7/10
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