---
title: "The Florida Project"
year: 2017
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-florida-project"
fi1m_id: "the-florida-project"
imdb_id: "tt5649144"
tmdb_id: 394117
wikidata_id: "Q29514872"
fi1m_score: 88
critics_score: 87
critics_reviews: 19
published: "2026-09-16"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:37:55.480892+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Florida Project (2017)

Directed by Sean Baker · 1h 52m · MPA R · Drama

## Identity

The Florida Project

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-florida-project
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** the-florida-project
- **IMDb ID:** tt5649144
- **TMDB ID:** 394117
- **Wikidata ID:** Q29514872
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5649144/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/394117, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q29514872

**Fi1m score: 88** · Critics 87 from 19 reviews

*In a sentence:* The children are having a wonderful afternoon; the motel manager would like the electricity back

> Sean Baker’s motel drama is funny, troubling and deeply moving, with Brooklynn Prince and Willem Dafoe especially good. A few episodes repeat what we already know, but the children are worth following.

## Synopsis

Moonee (Brooklynn Prince) lives with her mother, Halley (Bria Vinaite), at the purple Magic Castle motel in Florida, near Disney World. With Scooty (Christopher Rivera) and Jancey (Valeria Cotto), she makes the motel and its surroundings her playground. Halley struggles to keep them housed, while motel manager Bobby (Willem Dafoe) tries to keep the place running and the children out of trouble. A power cut interrupts motel life, but Moonee finds plenty to occupy her. While she wants room to play, her mother has to work out how they can afford to stay.

## Review

*The Florida Project* is funny, tender and worth making time for, provided a wandering plot does not put you off. Sean Baker follows children living in a Florida motel near Disney World, allowing their games and misbehaviour to occupy the screen without constantly reminding us what their parents cannot afford. The children are busy; poverty has not made them solemn. We see how much pleasure Moonee finds here, even as her mother, Halley, struggles to keep them housed.

Brooklynn Prince plays Moonee with an appetite for trouble that keeps her clear of the saintly child sometimes required by social drama. Alongside Christopher Rivera as Scooty and Valeria Cotto as Jancey, she makes the mischief feel invented on the spot, with no particular interest in our approval. These children can be aggravating, and the film is right to allow it. Their ability to find something to do is infectious, even when the adults must deal with the consequences.

Cinematographer Alexis Zabé gives the motel’s purple colour its full force, so the place can appeal to a child without becoming a reassuring sight for us. The brightness never suggests that the residents’ difficulties are minor. Stephonik Youth’s production design makes the Magic Castle feel capable of accommodating both play and the exhausting business of living there. We understand why Moonee finds things to enjoy without being asked to mistake this motel for a good answer to her family’s problems.

Willem Dafoe, as motel manager Bobby, gives the film its most affecting adult performance. We were moved by his patience with the children, because the irritation is still there and caring for them plainly takes effort. He makes us notice the work involved in keeping the place going, even when the children regard it as their playground. Nothing in the performance asks us to applaud Bobby merely for being a decent adult.

Bria Vinaite makes Halley harder company, and the film gains from that. Her abrasive manner can wear us down, but Sean Baker and Chris Bergoch’s writing does not pretend that financial desperation produces tidy behaviour or conveniently likeable parents. She gives the impression of someone with too little patience left for anybody else’s judgement. There is affection between mother and daughter, yet the performance keeps us worried about what Halley can manage.

The looseness does come at a cost. Editing his own film, Sean Baker lets individual episodes develop at the children’s pace, but some repeat a pleasure or a worry we have already understood. At 112 minutes, there is room for a modest trim. Lorne Balfe’s music scarcely registers with us beside the children’s noisy company, a balance that suits the film and leaves its strongest performers to hold our attention.

The danger with this kind of social drama is that the children become evidence of parental failure, or cheerful proof that hardship does not matter. This film generally avoids both, because Moonee is allowed to take up space as an awkward, funny person with things to do. Be prepared to spend time with children who have no intention of behaving for an audience.

*Fi1m score 88, published 16 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics respond warmly to Sean Baker’s portrait of childhood amid motel poverty, praising its humour and compassion without suggesting that it softens the hardship. Praise clusters around the natural performances, particularly Brooklynn Prince and the other children, with Willem Dafoe’s patient motel manager providing a steady adult presence. The bright colours and child’s-eye storytelling also draw approval: the reviews find room for adventure and mischief while keeping the adults’ precarious lives in view.

Reservations mostly concern the loose structure, though a small minority question the film’s honesty more fundamentally. The Hollywood Reporter finds it overlong and short of sustained narrative drive; The Independent notes that the vignettes risk repetition. The sharper dissent comes from The New Yorker, which finds the sympathy artificial, and Film Comment, which sees too little depth in the characters’ motivations. These objections stand apart from a consensus that largely finds Baker observant and non-judgemental.

## Straight answers

**Is The Florida Project worth watching?**

*The Florida Project* is worth watching for anyone who can enjoy the company of children who have no intention of behaving for an audience, and we scored it 88. Sean Baker's motel drama is funny, tender and moving, with Brooklynn Prince and Willem Dafoe especially good. Some episodes repeat what we already know, so be ready for a wandering plot.

**How long is The Florida Project, and what is it rated?**

*The Florida Project* runs 1h 52m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is a drama film.

**Where can I watch The Florida Project in the US?**

*The Florida Project* is streaming on The Roku Channel in the US, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV from $2.99. It leaves The Roku Channel on 1 October. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is The Florida Project, and is it suitable for children?**

*The Florida Project* carries a UK 15 certificate, and its difficulties are adult ones rather than violent or frightening ones. The film shows a mother struggling to keep her daughter housed, with abrasive behaviour and financial desperation on view, though the children's games and mischief fill most of the screen. It is not for young children, but older teenagers should manage it.

**How does The Florida Project compare to Ratcatcher?**

*The Florida Project* and [*Ratcatcher*](https://film.one/film/ratcatcher) both follow children finding play in neglected surroundings, and neither softens the hardship around them. Sean Baker's film is the brighter and funnier of the two, letting Moonee's mischief take up space, while Lynne Ramsay's is more sombre and works through guilt and physical detail. We rate both highly; choose Baker for warmth, Ramsay for quiet.

**What should I watch after The Florida Project?**

After *The Florida Project*, try [*Ratcatcher*](https://film.one/film/ratcatcher) (1999, Fi1m 88): Childhood play persists in neglected surroundings, with tenderness that never softens the hardship. Then [*Shoplifters*](https://film.one/film/shoplifters) (2018, Fi1m 89): An untidy household makes room for affection while money remains a daily problem; and [*Tangerine*](https://film.one/film/tangerine) (2015, Fi1m 84): More unruly company from Sean Baker, with friendship surviving money troubles and bad decisions.

### Reviews we read (27)

- **Radio Times**, Trevor Johnston (5/5): The critic calls it a modern classic with strong echoes of Ken Loach, praising its empathy, sharp observation, and natural performances. It highlights the compelling tension between children's innocent mischief and the adults' desperate struggles, culminating in an emotionally intense finale. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-35vyba/the-florida-project/)
- **The Independent** (★★★★★): The Florida Project is one of the best recent films about childhood, an antithesis to Disney movies set near Walt Disney World. Baker captures vibrant colours and resilient young characters amid poverty, with remarkable performances from the non-professional cast, though the vignette structure risks repetition late on. [Read](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/film-reviews-roundup-the-florida-project-only-the-brave-kaleidoscope-marjorie-prime-a8045921.html)
- **The i Paper**, Matthew Turner (★★★★★): Baker creates a vivid, vibrant world of poverty-line families near Disney World, with exceptional direction, editing and award-worthy performances from the young leads and Willem Dafoe. It is an Oscar outsider that could surprise, empathic yet unflinching about economic realities. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/florida-project-film-review-103025)
- **The Telegraph** (5/5): Baker turns a roadside motel into the most vivid location in recent movies with a visually stunning achievement that absolutely sings. Willem Dafoe delivers one of his best performances as the long-suffering manager. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/florida-project-review-hysterically-rude-visually-stunning-cinematic/)
- **Time Out**, Joshua Rothkopf (5/5): The review lauds the film's vibrant compassion and energy in depicting marginal communities. It singles out Dafoe's rich, lovable performance as the motel manager who anchors the story with quiet empathy and grandeur. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-florida-project)
- **Empire**, Helen O'Hara (90/100, inferred): Baker maintains his focus on overlooked lives in a cheap Florida motel, drawing extraordinary performances from first-timers alongside Willem Dafoe while using vibrant pop vérité style. It is a moving, emotional masterpiece that is empathic towards its subjects but fiercely critical of the system. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/florida-project-review/)
- **Evening Standard**, Charlotte O'Sullivan (90/100, inferred): Sean Baker channels Ken Loach in this gobsmackingly funny, vivid and moving drama about a bolshy mum and her daughter on the fringes of Disney World. The film builds to a bodaciously bleak ending while celebrating the characters' resilience and imagination without demonising them. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-florida-project-review-an-irresistible-trip-down-route-192-a3711806.html)
- **Financial Times**, Nigel Andrews (85/100, inferred): Baker finds aghast freshness and pop-mythopoeic mileage in this funny, acerbic, warmly sprawling picture of low-rent dreams, with standout turns from newcomers Vinaite and Prince alongside Dafoe. [Read](https://www.ft.com/content/40013d92-c491-11e7-a1d2-6786f39ef675)
- **Variety**, Owen Gleiberman (Critics Pick): Baker follows up Tangerine with a vibrant tale of the American lower depths centered on the magic and heartbreak of childhood in an Orlando motel. The kingdom of fantasy never looked so desperately real in this absorbing story of hustling and survival. [Read](https://variety.com/2017/film/reviews/the-florida-project-review-1202439902/)
- **The Times** (80/100, inferred): The exuberant, giddy film animates bankrupt lives in a discounted land with feral energy like its heroine, finding enchantments in the margins of America's moribund entertainment empire. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/film-review-the-florida-project-and-only-the-brave-josh-brolin-jdc5xwskv)
- **The New Yorker**, Richard Brody (50/100, inferred): The film is positioned as an antidote to helicopter parenting through its depiction of a young girl's natural leadership and imaginative play amid motel life, but it veers into artificial sympathy. It offers insightful moments on class indignities yet remains emotionally inauthentic under its realist guise. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/the-florida-project-is-the-cinematic-antidote-to-helicopter-parenting)
- **Film Comment**, Cassie da Costa (40/100, inferred): The film focuses on a young mother and her daughter living in a budget motel near Disney World, with the children's adventures contrasting the mother's struggles. The critic finds the portrayal of marginalized lives shallow and lacking depth in inner motivations. [Read](https://www.filmcomment.com/article/review-the-florida-project/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Justin Chang: Baker delivers a raw, exuberant and captivating portrait of childhood through the irrepressible six-year-old Moonee and her life in a seedy motel. The result is a dazzling neorealist sugar rush and a masterpiece of empathy that assembles one of the most infectious portraits of childhood seen on screen. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-the-florida-project-review-20171005-story.html)
- **Sight and Sound**, Kate Stables: The critic praises Baker's sympathetic, non-judgmental portrayal of childhood innocence amid hardship in a rundown motel near Disney World. It highlights the vivid, naturalistic performances (especially from the child actors and Dafoe) and the film's compassionate, observant eye on marginal lives. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/film-week-florida-project-paints-hardscrabble-wonderland-candy-colours)
- **Slant Magazine**, Ed Gonzalez: The critic highlights how the film invests the minutiae of down-and-out motel lives with bittersweet energy and significance through a child's present-tense point of view, praising the nimble direction, social contracts among characters, and thematic depth around transience and dreams. It notes some jarring moments but finds the overall approach remarkable. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-florida-project/)
- **The Guardian**: The film is a superbly sympathetic, thrillingly vibrant portrait of marginalised lives that never feels like tourism from its director. It centres a child's sense of wonder amid the ironic contrast of rundown motels near Disney World. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/nov/12/the-florida-project-review-sunshine-state-of-mind)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, David Rooney: The critic praises the vibrant, colorful portrayal of children's carefree adventures and strong performances by the young leads in this mosaic of life among the invisible homeless near Disney World. It notes the film is overlong and lacks sustained narrative drive compared to Baker's prior work. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/florida-project-cannes-2017-1006653/)
- **The New York Times**, A.O. Scott (NYT Critic’s Pick): The film tells the story of a six-year-old girl living in a shabby motel near Disney World from dual perspectives, revealing both the joy in her free-range adventures and the underlying hardship. Baker avoids condescension or exploitation in portraying poverty, creating a risky and revelatory work. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/05/movies/the-florida-project-review-sean-baker-willem-dafoe.html)
- **Vulture**: The review calls the film brilliant, buoyant, and ultimately heart-wrenching, a near-perfect follow-up to Tangerine that immerses viewers in the setting through the anarchic whims of its young protagonists. It highlights the standout child performances, visual pop of the 35mm cinematography, and a stunning finale. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2017/10/cannes-2017-the-florida-project-review.html)
- **Den of Geek**, Simon Brew (5/5): Baker's film divides audiences with its freeform story of struggling families at a budget motel near Disney World, centered on a young girl's perspective and her mother's desperate efforts. It is praised for strong performances, gripping characters, and effective tonal shifts. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-florida-project-review/)
- **/Film**, Chris Evangelista (10/10): The critic hails the film as potentially the best of the year for its beautiful, empathetic look at children living near Disney World. They single out the authentic child performances and Willem Dafoe's kind motel manager as standout elements. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/the-florida-project-review-tiff-2017/)
- **The Skinny**, Joseph Walsh (5/5): Baker delivers a vibrant, colorful, and heartbreaking slice-of-life story about a young girl and her struggling single mother living in motels near Disney World. The film is lauded for its honest portrayal of poverty, strong child performance, and tender handling of difficult themes. [Read](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/the-florida-project)
- **Consequence** (90/100, inferred): Sean Baker's film is a sublime piece of optimistic filmmaking that acknowledges pain without succumbing to it. It is a powerful, unassuming story of rare emotional depth, joy, and humanity set among children and struggling adults in budget motels near Disney World. [Read](https://consequence.net/2017/10/film-review-the-florida-project/)
- **The Wrap**, Elizabeth Weitzman (90/100, inferred): The critic praises Sean Baker’s neorealist drama as a beautiful heartbreaker that exposes layers of privation beneath the colorful facade of motels near Disney World, following the resilient young Moonee and her struggling mother. They single out the extraordinary, natural child performance by Brooklynn Prince as one of the most noteworthy in recent memory, along with strong turns from Willem Dafoe and Bria Vinaite. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/the-florida-project-review-willem-dafoe-sean-baker/)
- **HeyUGuys**, Jo-Ann Titmarsh (85/100, inferred): The critic praises the film's warm, colorful depiction of childhood resilience in poverty, highlighting Brooklynn Prince's standout performance as Moonee. They single out the joyful, adventurous spirit of the children as a highlight. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/the-florida-project-review/)
- **The Ringer**, K. Austin Collins (85/100, inferred): The Florida Project is a wondrously sad yet wonderful film largely shot from the perspective of kids, but undercut by adult realities. Baker's deceptively sunny indie captures a child's-eye view of a beautiful but precarious world with playful tone and emotional depth. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2017/10/07/movies/the-florida-project-film-review-sean-baker-willem-dafoe)
- **The Playlist**, Jessica Kiang ([A]): The critic praises the film's blend of joy and heartbreak, focusing on the child's perspective amid poverty, with strong performances especially from the young lead. They single out the immersive, present-tense storytelling and humane portrayal of marginal lives. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/sean-bakers-boisterous-heartbreaking-florida-project-willem-dafoe-cannes-review-20170523/)

## Details

- **Director:** Sean Baker
- **Director:** Sean Baker
- **Writer:** Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch
- **Cinematography:** Alexis Zabe
- **Editor:** Sean Baker
- **Music:** Lorne Balfe
- **Production design:** Stephonik Youth
- **Costume design:** Fernando Rodriguez
- **Producer:** Andrew Duncan, Francesca Silvestri, Alex Saks
- **Cast:** Brooklynn Prince as Moonee; Bria Vinaite as Halley; Willem Dafoe as Bobby; Christopher Rivera as Scooty; Valeria Cotto as Jancey; Mela Murder as Ashley; Josie Olivo as Grandma Stacy; Caleb Landry Jones as Jack
- **Runtime:** 1h 52m
- **Certificate (MPA):** R
- **Release (the US):** 6 October 2017
- **Genres:** Drama
- **Budget:** $2 million
- **Box office:** $11 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwQ-NH1rRT4

## Where to watch in the US

- The Roku Channel: free, hd, leaving 2026-10-01
- Amazon Prime Video: rent $2.99, sd
- Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd
- Apple TV: buy $12.99, sd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy $12.99, sd

*Checked 2026-09-16.*

Also available in: AE, AT, AU, BE, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, HK, IE, IN, IT, JP, KR, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PT, SE, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 2018: Best Supporting Actor (nominated)
- IFFR audience award 2018: IFFR audience award (nominated)

## If you liked this

- *Little Fugitive* (1953): A child’s roaming adventures, observed with patience and an eye for improvised pleasures.
- *Where Is the Friend's House?* (1987): A child’s urgent errand reveals how little attention adults pay to children.
- *Ratcatcher* (1999), Fi1m 88: Childhood play persists in neglected surroundings, with tenderness that never softens the hardship. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/ratcatcher.md)
- *Shoplifters* (2018), Fi1m 89: An untidy household makes room for affection while money remains a daily problem. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/shoplifters.md)
- *Tangerine* (2015), Fi1m 84: More unruly company from Sean Baker, with friendship surviving money troubles and bad decisions. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/tangerine.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-florida-project