Kentish Express Ashford & District - What's On
OUT THIS WEEK...
THE FLORIDA PROJECT (15)
In 2015, New Jersey-born writerdirector Sean Baker dazzled with his fifth feature, the transgender sex worker buddy comedy Tangerine, which he shot on three handheld smartphones using nonprofessional actors.
Baker upgrades his technology but remains defiantly on the frayed fringe of society for The Florida Project, an exuberant portrait of families living hand-to-mouth in the shadow of Walt Disney World.
His script, co-written with Chris Bergoch, unfolds over one lazy summer and is anchored by searing performances from newcomers Bria Vinaite and Brooklynn Prince as a mother and daughter, who will do anything (including cheat and steal) to keep a roof over their heads. There are grim moments yet, with each body blow, the film softens the impact with earthy humour and humanity, exposing chinks of vulnerability beneath the pottymouthed characters’ steely facades. Single mother Halley (Vinaite) sells designer fragrances to wealthy theme park visitors, aided by her precocious six-year-old daughter Moonee (Prince).
It’s a struggle to raise the rent and placate long-suffering manager Bobby Hicks (Willem Dafoe), so Halley relies on the kindness of friends and strangers including upstairs neighbour Ashley (Mela Murder).
The Florida Project rests heavily on seven-year-old poppet Prince and she is a natural in front of the camera.
It’s an emotionally raw and unflinching character study that collapses in the gutter, staring up at stars that don’t grant anyone’s wishes.