The Florida Project
Short description
Set in the shadow of Walt Disney World, The Florida Project follows Moonee, a six-year-old girl living with her young mother, Halley, in a budget motel on the outskirts of Orlando. While Moonee and her friends Scooty and Jancey fill their summer days with mischief and exploration across the motel grounds and the surrounding strip malls, the adults around them face mounting financial trouble. Halley, who is close in age to a teenager, scrapes together money through dubious schemes, and the strain of keeping a roof over their heads gradually closes in on the freedom her daughter enjoys. Bobby, the motel manager, watches over the residents with a mixture of patience and weariness.
Sean Baker directed the film, his fifth feature after Take Out, Starlet and Tangerine, and wrote it with Chris Bergoch; Baker also produced alongside Shih-Ching Tsou and Kevin Chinoy. Brooklynn Prince plays Moonee, Bria Vinaite makes her acting debut as Halley, and Willem Dafoe plays Bobby, heading a cast of 46 credited performers.
Made for around two million dollars, the film took roughly eleven million dollars worldwide. On IMDb it holds 7.6 out of 10 from about 146,000 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 7.4 from a much smaller base of 3,194. Its critics' rating is notably higher, 8.8 from 318 reviews, indicating stronger approval among reviewers than among general audiences.
What's left behind the scenes
- Practically the entire film was shot on 35mm film. The only exception was the final scene, which was filmed on an iPhone at Walt Disney World without the administration's knowledge.
- In the initial version of the script, it was planned that Bobby, played by Willem Dafoe, would be assisted by a brother. However, as filming progressed, it became clear that a relationship between Bobby and a child would be more appropriate. Thus, it was decided to change the brother to a son in the script. Caleb Landry Jones was approved for this role, and filming of scenes with his participation began a couple of weeks later.
- Shawn Baker found the actress for the role of Hayley Briana White on Instagram.
- "Project Florida" was the working name of Disney World during the early stages of its construction.
- Before starting work on the film, Willem Dafoe spent a week in the locations where filming was planned, in order to better understand his character’s life and learn to speak with the correct accent.
- Filming took place in real motels. They were not closed during filming, so real guests and staff appear in some scenes.
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