Film Review: The Florida Project
The Florida Project is a film directed by Sean Baker and written by both Sean Baker and Chris Bergoch. The film follows a playful yet mischievous six-year-old girl, named Moonee, and her unemployed mother, Halley, who live in a motel near Walt Disney theme park in Kissimmee, Florida trying to survive and avoid homelessness in the heat of summer. Throughout the film, Moonee and her motel friends are seen exploring the Kissimmee area unsupervised and are shown getting into various trouble. The motel manager, Bobby, is shown as person who has unconditional positive regard for the children and residents at the motel. The film displays Bobby as a dynamic character who is aware of everything that happens at the motel. He keeps the hotel intact, makes sure rules are being fairly followed, and is shown in every scene when conflict arises on the property. When Halley receives knocks on her door from Bobby, she immediately points to Moonee as the source of trouble. However, Bobby and Halley almost always resolve issues that arise due to Moonee and the other kids — showcasing Bobby’s caring and protective nature and his ability to resolve conflict without the help of authorities.
After being fired from her job and denied TANF benefits, Halley and her daughter sells perfumes and theme park attraction bands to tourists to cover rent and they obtain free meals from another motel resident, Ashley. In return for free meals, Halley watches Ashley’s son while she works. Shortly after losing her job, Halley recognizes that she needs money and enters into sex work in order to fulfill basic needs and care for Moonee. Ashley eventually learns that the children, including her son, were responsible for the abandoned property on fire and stops allowing her son to hang with Moonee. Halley confronts Ashley about this change and Ashley uses Halley’s engagement in sex work as an explanation as to why her son is no longer allowed around them — which results in a physical altercation. Upset from the fight, Ashley reports Halley to the Department of Children and Families (DCF), which is an assumption the viewers have to make. Not long after, the DCF workers and police officers show up to place Moonee into the foster care system for the duration of the investigation.
The Depiction of Housing and Homelessness
The film showcases a taboo aspect of housing and homelessness that is often not envisioned when thinking of the American crisis — that is individuals and families who seek shelter in cheap motels and hotels to survive. In the movie, the majority of the guests at the motel are, in fact, residents and are paying weekly rent for long-term or short-term stay. It is a convenient option for some looking for temporary shelter and a transitional option for many families that are housing insecure, in the process of looking for new housing, or avoiding the brinks of homelessness. In some instances, motel-dwellers are made up of the most vulnerable population who may not qualify for government assistance. As shown in the movie, Halley was denied TANF benefits due to not providing a valid extenuating circumstance that led to her being fired. Needless to say, the government’s definition of valid did not work in Halley’s favor. Although Halley’s reason was legitimate, the system failed her and the impacts of not receiving TANF benefits were harmful and detrimental to her fight in preventing homelessness. The symbolic characterization of Halley helped the film to depict a harsh reality — the reality that many individuals and families reside at motels or hotels because of unjust systems that reinforce the cycle of poverty.
New York Times journalist and critic, Anthony Scott, acknowledges Baker’s ability to “avoid the traps of condescension and prurience that ensnare too many well-meaning movies about poverty in America” and “insists on meeting people on both sides of the screen where they are, on suspending judgment and extending compassion” (Scott, 2017). Meeting people where they are is a phrase that is synonymous with the social work profession and is a skill Baker utilized to compassionately tell a story of a true reality for many families and to shed light on the American housing and homelessness crisis. The movie draws parallels between motel-dwelling as a hidden concept and the motel’s placement behind the most magical place on earth, the Magic Kingdom at Disney World. How could a motel existing in close proximity to a popular theme park be overlooked? Have the children ever been to the nearby theme park? What is being done to help those in need? These are questions that may ponder a viewer’s mind because the amount of attention and traffic toward the theme park is not congruent with the amount of help allocated to the impoverished areas only a few blocks away. Therefore, the film acknowledges that housing insecure and homeless individuals are often left unseen, abandoned, and forgotten and skillfully utilizes emotional appeal to illuminate the issue.
Another depiction of housing and homelessness is centered around motel-dwellers’ rights. The film briefly depicts a moment where Bobby franticly has Halley move all of her belongings to another room to empty her current room so that he could take pictures to deceitfully prove that she has checked out. Although Bobby looked out for Halley, he did not want her to establish residency because it would create chaos amongst the residents and get him in trouble. As a result, Halley had to relocate to another motel for 24 hours. Essentially, there are state laws that afford transient hotel guests tenant rights when the stay lasts longer than a number of consecutive days. Tenant rights allow residents certain rights such as the right to a habitable home and notice of eviction. These rights can serve as a make it or break it moment for families that need more time making rent and have nowhere else to go. Halley did not get this right and, like so many motel-dwellers, was moved around like a nomad in search of stability. Even if there are laws that prohibit landlords or managers from engaging in in such behaviors, individuals and families who are without resources might not have the strength to fight.
Depiction of Social Work
Social work was painted in a negative light throughout the movie. Almost all interactions with social services created false hopes or extreme disappointment. In fact, as soon as Halley lost her job, she sought help from a TANF benefits worker. Halley attempted to explain the circumstances that led to her getting fired and the worker kept it by the books, showing no empathy. Social workers are taught to be person-centered, empathetic, and active listeners but none of this was captured — yet another hard truth. Since the worker knew that Halley was ineligible for benefits, she could have referred her to other resources such as case management services or other cash assistance programs that exist in the area. Instead, Halley had to find a way to survive, safe or unsafe, legal or illegal. Haley solicited an advertisement online for sex work as a means to make money and provide for her daughter. Owen Gleiberman, a critic for Variety magazine, describes Halley’s ease into deviant behavior which ultimately left viewer’s wondering about what would happen to Moonee, a wildly free child (Gleiberman, 2017). While Halley may not have made the best choices, Gleiberman acknowledges how Halley is “the only mother that Moonee has” (2017). The lack of access to resources is definitely a factor that may explain some of Halley’s decisions.
A major depiction of social work in the film includes the DCF workers involvement. DCF workers were notified of a potential neglect case and came to Halley’s motel door to investigate the claims. Halley’s mood immediately shifted, and she had an indication that Ashley was the person who called. DCF came in full force, completely dismissive of Halley’s input on the situation. It is a scene where DCF is stepping in to do good, but their involvement is creating more harm than good. The movie creatively portrayed Halley as a struggling mother who would do anything for her daughter. Halley’s and Moone’s relationship appeared more like a sister-sister relationship than a parent-child. Halley may have merely benefited from parenting education and financial assistance, but the notion that she was an unfit mother did not fit the truth. However, this is the premise that fueled DCF’s investigation and removal of Moonee from the home and into the foster care system. The film depicted the difficult decisions social workers make such as deciding on what and what is not in the best interest of the child. In the last scene, a very emotional one, the DCF workers ultimately decided to remove Moonee.
Social Justice Issues
There are several social justice issues presented throughout the film including poverty, unjust legal and social systems, social exclusion, and unequal access to resources to name a few. The entire setting and imagery of the motel highlighted impoverished areas and visible signs of societal disorder and abandonment, which alludes to the broken windows theory. The setting is important because it is the environment in which individuals and families operate. If one’s environment is not equipped with opportunity, then misfortune will ensue. In fact, Baker creatively uses an abandoned condominium building to orchestrate the climax of the story. It is in this scene where Moonee and her motel friends unintentionally burned the building down. As a result, Ashley prohibits her son from hanging around Moonee. It may be easy to assume that if the building was not left unattended then DCF would have never been involved. What if local resources and efforts were placed into the community, would the area have been revitalized? Still, Halley merely escapes DCF involvement almost in every scene. Moonee is often exploring the area unsupervised, even at the playground. Viewers can only wonder what would have happened if Bobby had involved police officers in the scene where he scared off a potential child predator.
Moreover, marginalized groups often experience social deprivation and discrimination. In this film, however, social economic status was placed at the forefront. For example, when two affluent tourists became upset after realizing that they were dropped off at the wrong destination, the motel staff took the time to hear their complaints. Yet, Halley’s frustration with the neighboring motel resulted in turmoil — depicting societal apathy and its impacts on marginalized people.
Personal Impact
As a social worker, this movie has made it clear that it is important to acknowledge systems and a person’s experience. Social workers are called on as change agents and intervenors, but we must recognize the impacts of our interventions. The way that social work was depicted in this film fueled my eagerness to reshape the negative connotations associated with social work through my actions. This film has taught me that there is a lot of work to be done on multiple levels.
I did not think this movie would have personally impacted me, but it did! I found myself extremely emotional at the end of the film, hoping for a better outcome for Halley and Moonee. I think the most powerful message that I received from this film is that harm can come from good intentions (remember the ethical principal of benevolence?). I do not think we can always get it right, but what we can do as professionals is meet a person where they are at that moment.
References:
Baker, S. (Director). (2017). The Florida Project [Film]. Cre Films, Freestyle Picture Company, June Pictures, and Sweet Tomato Films.
Gleiberman, O. (2017). Review: ‘The Florida project’. https://variety.com/2017/film/reviews/the-florida-project-review-1202439902/
Scott, A.O. (2017). Review: In ‘the Florida project,’ enchantment in a shabby motel. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/05/movies/the-florida-project-review-sean-baker-willem-dafoe.html
