The Florida Project

Saw The Florida Project, a film about a little girl living with her single mother in a long-stay hotel on the strip outside of Disneyland.  It's a sweet although sort of sad film about this girl finding fun and life and existence on the margins of society.  It's similar in theme to Beasts of the Southern Wild, but this film is somewhat more tame both in terms of style (there's no apocalyptic CGI boars in this one) and in terms of the characters' poverty (the adults here can afford a hotel room.)  But both films are a child's-eye view of the effects of poverty and how they do and don't impact these kids.

The child acting is amazing.  Apparently a lot of the children's dialogue was improvised which helped it feel more natural and more strange and creative and kid-ish.  There's a few scenes in the climax of the film where you can hear a script-writer's words coming out of the kids' mouths, but this is understandable, given the importance of the climax of the film!  Also, that climax is still very raw and moving.  We see the hard shell that this little girl built up crumble, crushed under the weight of poverty and forces outside her control.

The film also takes place in the shadow of Disneyland, an expensive resort that the kids don't even dream about attending.  Nonetheless, they are often seen walking under giant Disney signs, past novelty shops with garish mascots and frequently interact with tourists on their way to the Magic Kingdom.  The main character herself lives in the Magic Palace hotel, a castle-themed hotel painted an eye-searing pink.  She has friends in Future-land, another hotel with statues of rockets in the parking lot.

The contrast between the fantastical names of the hotels vs the poverty of the residents is cutting and ironic, but the film is generally kind to its characters, so it never feels cruel, this juxtaposition.  There's also poignant parallel to the children's imaginary lives.  To them, this is a magic palace, a future-land.  They uncritically accept their surroundings and do their best to have fun, make friends, and go on adventures.  The childhood wonder on sale at Disney only a few miles away is alive and well, even in the ghettos of the magic kingdom.  It's sort of sad but also sort of hopeful.