Overview

Warm, winning, and now officially nominated for an Oscar, The Florida Project is Sean Baker’s follow-up to the critical darling Tangerine. This deeply moving and poignant look at childhood is set on a stretch of highway just outside the imagined utopia of Disney World and follows six-year-old Moonee (Brooklynn Prince, who gobbled up accolades) and her rebellious mother Halley (Bria Vinai) over the course of a single summer. The two live week to week at The Magic Castle, a budget hotel managed by Bobby (Willem Dafoe, who looks potentially poised to win an Oscar). Bobby’s stern exterior hides a deep reservoir of kindness and compassion that protects Moonee in many ways. Despite her harsh surroundings, the precocious and ebullient Moonee has no trouble making each day a celebration of life, her endless afternoons overflowing with mischief and grand adventure given her unique awareness and ignorance of the world around her.