The Florida Project

The Florida Project Starring Willem Dafoe, Brooklynn Prince, Valeria Cotto; directed by Sean Baker; R

By all accounts, 6-year-old Moonee (Brooklynn Prince), the heroine of Sean Baker’s remarkable The Florida Project, should not be having a happy childhood. She lives with her young mother, Halley (Bria Vinaite), who is barely out of her teens herself, in a seedy motel in the shadow of Disney World. The motels and businesses in this tacky stretch of strip malls and tourist traps have names like Futureland and The Magic Castle and Orange World, intentionally meant to evoke (and, in some cases, be confused with) the actual child’s paradise a mile or so away. Halley is a dope smoker, a petty thief, and a hustler, who sells perfume knockoffs and anything else she can swipe on the streets. She brings her daughter with her, because Moonee’s cuteness helps seal the deal. When things get truly desperate, Halley turns tricks in her motel room.

No, it’s not a recipe for a happy childhood, and yet Moonee is happy. She sees the series of motels as her own personal playground, with best friends Jancey (Valeria Cotto) and Scooty (Christopher Rivera)——also children of broken families and poverty——as her co-conspirators. They run around freely, breaking into abandoned rooms and buildings, scamming for free ice cream at the local soft serve, and spitting on cars in the parking lot to see who has the best aim——all done with an incredible sense of mischief, discovery, and fun.