Thoughts on The Florida Project
Spoilers!
I’ve only been to Florida twice. Both times were spent within the confines of Disney World.
How eye-opening it is to see what life is like just beyond those borders.
Sean Baker guides us through the hot and humid summer of six-year-old Moonee and teenage mother Halley. Full of massive, loud, and vibrant facades, the town’s inhabitants are equally as colorful. Some are simply down on their luck, trying to make ends meet. Some are boisterous and obnoxious; the caricature of an American, yet humanized. But there’s only one Bobby.
The rock of the film. Willem Dafoe shines as the Magic Castle’s upstanding manager. Well-liked and willing to give second chances, Bobby can’t help but cut Halley a break, at least until she forces his hand. Perhaps he’s been in her shoes before. Maybe he just feels sympathetic towards her situation. Whatever the case, Bobby’s relationship with Halley seems to be unique among the residents of the Magic Castle, and it breaks his heart to separate her from Moonee.
But with that tragedy is a glimmer of hope, a possibility that she’ll turn out alright. A product of her upbringing, Moonee is brash, reckless, and independent. Brooklynn Prince is magnetic on the screen, and through her eyes, we see the world with that childlike wonder that dissipates much too soon. New to the world, she doesn’t really know how good or bad she has it. Moonee simply makes the best out of what’s at her disposal. She gallivants around the town with Scooty and Jancey, living her life as any child should: curiously, adventurously, and boldly. With bright purples, greens, and yellows saturating the landscape and landmarks bearing names like “Magic Castle” and “Futureland,” Moonee makes the town her playground. She whisks away to an abandoned development or a patch of wilderness for no other reason than to explore.
Halley, while unfit to be a mother, has an unmistakable, incredibly strong bond with Moonee. They’re mother and daughter, yes, but also sisters. They hustle perfume, they dance in the rain, they snack on waffles. Halley does what she can to let Moonee enjoy her childhood. She doesn’t let Moonee grow up too quickly, like she was forced to do. Halley takes on all of the anxieties of adulthood, allowing Moonee to roam free and simply be a kid. Regardless of how she goes about this, the intention is admirable.
The ending completely jarred me the first time I watched it. Different camera, different lens, different color, different everything. But after some reflection, I’ve come to really like the ending. I’ve read that Baker made the ending ambiguous, so I’m inclined to agree with the theory that the ending happens within Moonee’s mind. Switching to an iPhone for filming the last scene is no longer a necessity, but a storytelling device. It signals that this scene doesn’t take place in the world we’ve been in for the past two hours. That, paired with an impossible trip to the happiest place on Earth, tells us that we are in some fantasy world. Who else could that fantasy belong to than Moonee?
With the Florida Department of Children and Families here to take Moonee away, life as she knows it has come to its inevitable end. From here on out, everything changes. She’ll be swept away to a foster home, possibly never to see Halley again. Never to see Jancey again. No more gallivanting around the town. No more free ice cream. No more independence. Moonee won’t have a life as free as this for a long time. Is she not allowed to escape to this fantastical place she’s heard about for as long as she’s been alive?
Should a six-year-old have this much freedom? No. But Moonee was given it, and to have a taste of that freedom before someone strips it away is devastating. Though, when she gets it back, and she almost definitely will get it back, Moonee will be a very interesting person indeed. She could break this cycle; Halley might have learned her behavior from her own mother, but perhaps Moonee’s escape to Disney World is also an escape from recklessness and irresponsibility. Maybe she doesn’t grow up to be like Halley, but like Bobby, or another role model that she has yet to meet. Maybe she’ll make life her own once again. Maybe it does turn out for the better.
But that’s a different slice of life. Now, we can only wonder.
Quality Quotes
Moonee: Oh, watch out—watch out for the water, ‘cuz guess what? I went to the hospital one time.
Moonee: You know—you know why this is my favorite tree?
Jancey: Why?
Moonee: Because it tipped over...and it’s still growing.
Moonee: I’m going to eat a strawberry and a raspberry at the same time.
. . .
Moonee: Man oh man, that’s gross.
Bobby: Thank you very much!
Moonee: You’re not welcome!
Moonee: YEAH, LADY.
Moonee: Scooty! What are you breaking?
Scooty: The wall.
. . .
Moonee: Good luck!
