The Florida Project

The Florida Project
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Name	The Florida Project
Caption	Theatrical release poster
Director	Sean Baker
Producer	Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch, Josh Mond
Writer	Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch
Starring	Brooklynn Prince, Bria Vinaite, Willem Dafoe, Valeria Cotto
Music	Garret 'Sugar' Tolbert
Cinematography	Joshua James Richards
Editing	Sean Baker, Ronald Bronstein
Studio	Anonymous Content, Rumble Films
Distributor	A24
Released	2017
Runtime	111 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

The Florida Project is a 2017 American independent drama film directed by Sean Baker and written by Sean Baker and Chris Bergoch. The film follows a six-year-old girl living with her young mother in a budget motel near Walt Disney World during a summer marked by childhood adventure and adult precarity. It received critical acclaim for its performances, especially that of Willem Dafoe, and its portrayal of poverty.

Plot

The narrative centers on Moonee, a spirited six-year-old who spends summer days at the Magic Castle Inn, a budget motel in the shadow of Walt Disney World and near Orlando, Florida. Moonee and her friends, including Scooty and Dicky, engage in mischief across locations such as a local strip mall, a rent-to-own store like Aaron's, Inc.–style outlets, and a neighborhood ice cream shop reminiscent of Dairy Queen. Their antics bring them into contact with motel staff and nearby residents, creating tensions that involve policing by local Orange County Sheriff's Office–style authorities and interventions from social services agencies such as county child welfare departments. Halley, Moonee's teenage mother, struggles with low-wage work, sex work, and bills while trying to keep housing at the Magic Castle; conflicts with motel manager Bobby, who enforces rules to protect his property and tenants, escalate toward the film's emotional climax. The plot interweaves scenes at a large amusement destination modeled on Walt Disney World Resort and a nearby tourist corridor with sequences set in community resources like a neighborhood church and convenience stores, culminating in decisions about Moonee's future involving child welfare and local law enforcement.

Cast and Characters

The film's cast mixes professional actors and non-professionals. Lead roles include Brooklynn Prince as Moonee, Bria Vinaite as Halley, and Willem Dafoe as Bobby, the motel manager. Supporting performers and cameos feature Valeria Cotto, Christopher Rivera, and numerous local residents and younger actors with backgrounds in regional Orlando, Florida communities. The casting process drew comparisons to previous ensemble works casting non-professionals, such as Rossellini's Rome Open City–era neorealist productions and modern precedents like the Florida Project-adjacent casting approaches used by Sean Baker in earlier films like Tangerine. Established performers such as Willem Dafoe brought visibility that complemented breakout performances from newcomers, aligning with casting models used in films distributed by companies such as A24 and produced by Anonymous Content.

Production

Principal photography took place in and around Orlando, Florida, with many scenes shot at an actual motel near the tourist corridor leading to Walt Disney World. The film reunited director Sean Baker with cinematographer Joshua James Richards, employing a vivid color palette and handheld camera work reminiscent of techniques used by cinematographers like Emmanuel Lubezki and editors collaborating in independent cinema. Production involved low-budget strategies similar to those used on Tangerine and relied on community casting and location shooting in commercially zoned districts near theme park infrastructure. Producers included Anonymous Content and Rumble Films, while post-production editing and scoring referenced DIY workflows common to indie films backed by distributors such as A24. The film's shooting schedule, permitting improvisation and child-centered blocking, echoed methods used by directors like Ken Loach and Andrea Arnold when working with young non-actors.

Themes and Analysis

Critics and scholars have explored the film's themes of childhood resilience, economic precarity, and the juxtaposition of fantasy industry landscapes with local poverty. Analyses link the work to realist traditions exemplified by Italian Neorealism, social-issue cinema from filmmakers like Ken Loach, and contemporary American indie movements supported by distributors such as A24. The film contrasts the magical brandscape of Walt Disney World Resort with the lived experiences of motel residents, prompting readings that involve tourism economies, labor markets in Orange County, Florida, and municipal zoning practices near entertainment districts. Interpretations often highlight performance studies related to child acting in cinema history—comparing Moonee to characters in works by directors like D.W. Griffith (early child portrayals) and later realist directors—and draw on sociological studies of housing insecurity, welfare policy debates involving Social Security Act–era legacies, and debates in contemporary film theory about representation and ethical documentary-adjacent fiction.

Release and Reception

The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2017, where Willem Dafoe won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor. It had a theatrical release handled by A24 and screened at festivals including Telluride Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival. Reviews in major outlets such as The New York Times, The Guardian, and Variety praised the film's performances, visual style, and humane portrayal of marginalized communities, while some commentators debated its ethical stance and representational choices. At the box office, the film performed respectably for an independent release, drawing audiences to specialty cinemas and repertory houses hosting retrospectives of contemporary indie auteurs.

Accolades and Legacy

The film received numerous nominations and awards, notably Willem Dafoe's Cannes Best Actor win and nominations for various critics' circles and guild awards. It appeared on multiple year-end lists from organizations such as the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute. Its legacy includes influencing discussions about casting non-professionals, depictions of childhood in cinema, and the role of independent distributors like A24 in bringing social-realist works to wider audiences. The film is frequently cited in retrospectives alongside contemporary American independent films such as Moonlight and Call Me by Your Name as part of a late-2010s wave of critically lauded, low-to-mid-budget features.

Category:2017 films Category:American independent films Category:Films set in Florida