The Florida Project

The Florida Project comes from indie film director Sean Baker. While this film is shot with a much higher budget than his previous movie Tangerine (which was largely shot with the iPhone 5 and extra equipment), The Florida Project retains the same vibrancy and heart as its predecessor. Halley is a struggling mum, attempting to look after her excitable and troublesome daughter Moonee (played by the wonderful child actor Brooklynn Prince) while paying rent at a motel just outside of Disney’s Magic Kingdom in Florida. “The Florida Project” was the original planning name for the Magic Kingdom but it also describes the places surrounding it – the projects of Florida. The film follows the work-in-progress people of the motels and the magic of childhood through Moonee’s eyes in a colourful and truly heartfelt way. The film also stars Willem Dafoe in one of his finest roles as the strung-out yet kindly maintenance worker at the motel, who attempts to help Halley and Moonee.

We can’t relive the innocence of childhood, or the escape that every child in a tricky situation wishes for, but this movie captures it in an hourglass of two hours and keeps it safe for every viewer – it’s a must see.