We’re in the clear from last years awards season, but one snub that still rankles us is Sean Baker‘s incredible “The Florida Project,” a moving portrait about the marginalized, economically-distressed people living on the fringes, mixed with a whole lot of hope. We, like many, fell in love with the film at last year’s Cannes Film Festival. And since then, our admiration for Baker’s work has only grown. Though it was snubbed by the Oscars completely, the flub mars the institution and the film lives on regardless.
A video essay from Dan Talks Movies dives right into what makes the film such an achievement for Baker and one of the best films of 2017. But what makes it great, isn’t as obvious as its bright color palette and fairy tale energy. And that’s because what makes “The Florida Project” so unique is its subtleties and perspective of storytelling. We’re almost living in a golden age of child actors —the make or break element of “The Florida Project” — and the performances from the young actors, namely Brooklynn Prince, carry the heavy weight of the film.
“The Florida Project” also gives audiences a story we don’t see in popular cinema. Baker spoke with Little White Lies back in November 2017. Saying, “I like telling universal stories about people who haven’t really had stories told about them, underrepresented people. It really comes from me wanting to know more. I feel that the more diversity there is in front of – and behind – the camera can only help. It shines a light on communities of people that don’t usually have a light shone on them and it shows that we are all human.”