The Florida Project – A Childhood Wrapped in Color and Reality
Sean Baker’s The Florida Project (2017) is a film that balances joy and heartbreak, capturing the innocence of childhood against the backdrop of poverty. Told primarily through the perspective of six-year-old Moonee (Brooklynn Prince), the story follows her carefree summer living in a budget motel just outside Disney World. To her, this world is a playground—full of adventure, mischief, and wonder. But beneath the surface, the harsh reality of her unstable home life and the struggles of the adults around her slowly creep in.
One of the film’s most striking elements is its use of color. Unlike many films about poverty, which often rely on muted or desaturated tones to emphasize hardship, The Florida Project bursts with vibrant pastels, neon signs, and warm, sun-drenched hues. This is no accident—cinematographer Alexis Zabé has said they wanted the film to look like ice cream, mimicking how a child sees the world. The result is a visual language that draws us into Moonee’s perspective, making everything feel playful and magical, even when her situation is anything but.
The candy-colored aesthetic does more than just look beautiful—it creates contrast. It allows us to experience Moonee’s joy, her belief that she’s living in an endless summer of fun, even as the film quietly reveals the struggles of her young mother, Halley (Bria Vinaite), who is barely getting by. The bright exteriors of the motels mask the financial instability within them, just as Moonee’s endless energy masks the emotional weight of her circumstances. This contrast makes the film’s final moments even more devastating, as reality crashes down in a way that feels inevitable but still deeply shocking.
Beyond its visuals, The Florida Project is a film that refuses to look down on its characters. It doesn’t romanticize poverty, nor does it exploit it for cheap drama. Instead, it captures the resilience of childhood—the ability to find wonder even in the smallest, most ordinary things. And through its carefully crafted colors, it lets us see the world as Moonee does, making her highs feel euphoric and her lows all the more heartbreaking.
