America has really never been a caste-free society. The rich get richer and the poor get the picture. In this film we get a direct camera lens view into what it is like for the poor in a resort town of Florida. More specifically, it’s focused on a mother and daughter trying to survive while living in a daily rate motel.
The Florida Project (2017)
R | 1h 51min | Drama | 10 November 2017 (UK)
Set over one summer, the film follows precocious six-year-old Moonee as she courts mischief and adventure with her ragtag playmates and bonds with her rebellious but caring mother, all while living in the shadows of Disney World.
Director: Sean Baker
Writers: Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch
Stars: Brooklynn Prince, Bria Vinaite, Willem Dafoe
I’ve been a student of the culture of poverty every since I started teaching in an inner city environment. There are all sorts of observed rules you wouldn’t thin of unless you lived in it. For example, the kids in poverty know when the churches and bakeries put out the day old bread and they are there ready to pick it up. There’s nothing shameful about this, it’s survival. In this film we see various ways the poor survive in this environment. It’s often touching, sometimes maddening, and yes entertaining. This is a valuable relic because as it entertains it educates about an unseen part of our society. I can’t get enough reminders of why some people do the things they do to survive in the culture of poverty.
