For tonight I found out that The Florida Project is still playing on one screen here so that will be my priority.
Wow, am I excited to read about this. I could see this going a number of ways. Most interested to get your reaction to Bria Vinaite.
There are moments in The Florida Project where Halley (Bria Vinaite), assisted by her daughter Moonee (Brooklyn Prince), hawks perfume, and it momentarily made me think of American Honey's roving band of magazine salespeople. While this film is certainly in line with Sean Baker's prior effort Tangerine, as the film went on it made me realize how much his style is conversant with Andrea Arnold's that hooked me so deeply with Fish Tank and Red Road. With these two films, Sean Baker has launched himself into a similar stratosphere.
When a movie strikes you as great, chances are there are personal reasons for that and that is certainly true here. The application of economic logic to romance is frowned upon post-Austen, but as someone who longs to have a family, I see Halley and Moonee and feel like my economic stability would be a salve to their issues and their presence a salve to mine. Halley has clear impulse control issues, but I think the film, and the performance, do a good job of bringing a likable character through it. She might put her daughter in a certain danger by letting her roam free, among other things, but it is clear she loves her daughter with all her heart and is really trying for her. And you have to appreciate the resilience of both of them. I think this is why Bobby (Willem Dafoe) is so tolerant to her outbursts. You want to give them every chance at turning things around. But I'm not sure Halley would take such an offer were it made. Love is frequently illogical, and maybe that's for the best, even if it makes things more chaotic.
The film isn't heavily plot-driven, though it does drift to its ultimate destination that is thematically rich. But more it is just such a fine character study. I fell in love with the characters and I fell in love with the film.
A+