Un sogno chiamato Florida

This film immerses us into the world of lower-class people in Florida who ironically are staying in a cheap hotel next to of Disneyworld, where a set of four magic band bracelet tickets goes for $1600. There are excellent performances all around, especially from Brooklynn Prince, who plays a tough, mouthy, and yet sweet little girl with an arresting honesty. The character is just six but in many ways seems older, growing up too quickly while left mostly on her own to roam around with her friends.

It doesn't take long to feel sorry for the children in this situation, with no structure or guidance, and horrible role models. In ten years we can easily imagine the little girl grown up to be a similar mother, and ten years ago we can imagine how the mother must have grown up. Without even a hint of this message from director Sean Baker, who shows masterful restraint, we see how hard it is for someone to rise out of the lower class or a difficult upbringing - not impossible, but not easy. The film may be an ink blot test though, because I can also imagine the response of them getting what they deserve, since the mom doesn't get a job as others around her do, runs scams, and resorts to prostituting herself, and I have to say, feeling empathy for her is a real test. Just watching how poorly she behaves is one of the turn-offs to the film, even if it's honest.

The little girl is easy to feel sorry for because she's still just six; this is what happens with awful parents. But the mother was also likely brought up in a difficult environment, so the film begs the question of what to do about vicious cycles like this while wisely not attempting to answer it. Instead it just gives us reality, as cringe-inducing as it may be at times.

I loved how it was edited, with cuts tending to shorten scenes. I think that was a wise move, since a lot of the film is simply showing us a series of vignettes without the machinations of a big plot, and this kept it from lagging. I also loved the character Willem Dafoe played - what a tough job he has, and yet he's a model of empathy and kindness, an absolute angel under the façade of a grizzled hotel manager, never judging anyone. He plays the part perfectly too, without embellishing it with sweetness or anything that doesn't feel completely authentic. How it resolves is great too, because you can see both the tragedy and the need for it, after everything we've seen.

Boy, did I hear some great things about this from film festivals and from critics I follow on social media. Trailer didn't blow me away but I knew there had to be something special about this film. I haven't seen Sean Baker's previous effort, Tangerine, so I didn't really have a barometer for what to expect. I can safely say the film works so well. It's incredibly well acted, and utilizes a charming and emotional script to convey an experience you won't soon forget.

The film follows a young girl named Moonee (played by a really good young Brooklynn Kimberly Prince) and her mom who live in an extended stay motel managed by Bobby (Willem Dafoe). Halley, Moone's mother, has trouble making ends meet and does whatever she can to raise her daughter but her brash personality and lifestyle makes life difficult during their stay at the motel. Bobby tries his best to watch over them but realizes how tough it is keeping them as guests.

Its hard to say much more without giving away key plot points. I have to say this film is a joyous good time. The kid performers are mostly yelling loudly and running around on adventures. you know, being typical hyper kids. Its done so well though. I think Baker may have legitimately had the child actors improvise their lines because everything felt extremely natural. Newcomer Bria Vinaite, wow. She is livewire. Love or hate her character, she is loudly unapologetic and rebellious and just wonderfully portrayed. Defoe is also typically great. Bobby is such an identifiable character.

Baker uses his lenses to study a part of under-represented America. We don't get a lot of films about struggling families who find it hard to get by, definitely not the typical "Hollywood" character story. The film is definitely going to hit a lot of viewers hard at the end. Its a rather beautiful ending that reflects the innocence of the mischievous but ultimately innocent children. This could really be an Oscar contender.

8/10

Uncomfortable - yes.

Language that children should not be using - yes.

Situations that no child should be in - yes.

A peek behind the curtain at the circumstances of those on the lower rungs of society, monetarily and otherwise.

Be thankful for what you have for there are those with literally nothing.

My wife and I watched this movie at home on DVD from our public library. The writer/director mentions in the DVD extras that he is a long time fan of the old "Little Rascal" films and making this movie his focus similarly was on the kids and what they do during the summer without supervision.

Back in 1992 writer/director Robert Rodriguez as writer/director/editor gave us "El Mariachi" made for a mere $7000. This little movie has similarities, in fact some scenes were filmed using a phone, the writer/director rewrote some of the story during filming, and was the editor. Overall a fine effort, made to bring to light the plight of the near homeless, those families living in cheap motels in the Florida area near Disney World.

To me the real star is first time actress Bria Vinaite as Halley, a single mom with a daughter maybe 6 or 7. The writer says she would have had her daughter when she was perhaps only 15 and has had to figure out how to keep a roof over their heads. As probably most would do in a strictly survival mode her actions stray way off the line of good morality and her mouth is filthy as they come. She finds a variety of ways, some legal, to make money each week.

In a good role for him Willem Dafoe is Bobby, the manager of the motel. He clearly gets frustrated with the antics of the kids, and always having to remind Halley that the week's rent is due, but he also has a soft heart for all of them. He is perhaps the only father figure Halley ever had.

There is also a short scene with little kids playing and an older man approaches them. Bobby is on a tall ladder painting, quickly jumps into action and prevents what might have become an ugly situation and muscles the man away.

Much of the movie is hard to watch because we understand that, even though this is fiction, it mirrors reality very closely. This movie was made about Florida, you could probably make a similar one in every large community, including the one where I live in Texas.

Beautifully humane film that at times recalls Italian Neo-Realism, at other times the child-based films that are so popular in Iran. That it was made in the USA, with a real if humble budget, seems surprising and is a testament to the commitment of the filmmakers.

Subtly going back and forth between the perspectives of the child and adult characters, the film has, at times, an almost magical realist vibe, though nothing remotely supernatural or surreal transpires. Indeed, this is a film steeped in harsh reality, but also one that captures the almost mystical sense of discovering life on the part of the children and sometimes, momentarily at least, even the adults.

On the other hand, the film also offers a very visceral sense of the stress of trying to survive amidst the scarcity of the margins of American capitalism.

The acting is incredible, all the more so given that, with the very notable exception of Willem Dafoe, the performers are all either non- actors or unknowns.