The Florida Project reviewed by Mark Kermode
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- Опубликовано: 9 ноя 2017
- Mark Kermode reviews The Florida Project. Over the course of a summer, a 6 year-old girl and her friends enjoy adventures and mischief around their home, a budget hotel set in the shadows of Disney World. All the while, her rebellious mother works hard to provide for her daughter.
Please tell us what you think of the film -- or Mark’s review of the film - below. We love to include your views on the show every Friday.
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I thought this was an absolutely brilliant film. The performances by the kids are fantastically naturalistic and the final sequence made me weep.
The final sequence as in the crappy ending? I loved the movie but hated that ending.
The OmniReview I really liked it! (SPOILERS abound for anyone who hasn't seen this film yet)
After spending far too long in the adults' world, where everything is going to hell and Moonee's taking the brunt of it despite doing nothing wrong, Yancey does the only thing she can think to do - completely immerse both the two kids (and the viewer) into the ultimate world for kids (Disneyland).
Me too...
@@TheOmniReview Life is rough and often ends that way for many poor people..
I dont get why people dont like the ending so much. I thought it was absolutely gorgeous. Like how bleak would it be if we actually saw Moonee get taken into CPS and then the movie ends? The bulk of it is from the perspective of the kids so Moonee's imaginative ending she created for herself is much more effective than any other ending could have been.
Looking at the comments I’m so glad people loved it as much as I did . I showed so many people this movie and they either didn’t understand what they were trying to convey or they just though it was boring. I for one adored this movie.
10/10
The kid's perspective simultaneously takes the edge off of the harshness, and and enhances it.
It's a beautiful, poignant film. The kids are incredible and Bria is utterly believable and beguiling..
I adore this film. Finally got to see it. One of my favourites of the year. I can't stop thinking about it, and the more I do, the more I love it.
nuts to the negative nancies here. this movie, like tangerine, is pure magic & i loved it. it's touching & poignant & bittersweet & frustrating in just the right way, in that you hate the situation but understand & care about the people. takes over from raw as my movie of the ytd.
well, greatness is in the eye of the beholder, i suppose. it's been at least 2 or 3 years since i say starlet, but i remember thinking 'perfectly nice, good not great.' i'm likely going to revisit it in the near future, so maybe that we'll change. regardless, i did think tangerine was electric, lightning captured in a bottle, & completely worthy of all the praise it received.
Enrique, I agree. Starlet was very good. Tangerine had a great idea that lasted about 20 minutes then got mediocre.
I love how Disney is trying to silence this movie.
They did?! Is there an article or something about this? I'm not surprised at all but I do need to know more about it
how so?
They probably don’t like it being publicized that surrounding housing developments contain impoverished people that include but not limited to swindlers, drug abusers and drug dealers
The ending shot is actually on an iPhone because they had to be discreet since Disneyland doesn't allow productions to be filmed on their property, so that likely could be it. I believe there's a horror movie that did the same thing I just can't think of the name right now.
Beautiful film. It was like watching a car crash in slow motion. The daily problems of adults and the innocence of kids. I can relate we grew up poor. My mom had to be inventive and know how to stretch a dollar. I wasn't crazy about the mother portrayed in this film as she really didn't care about consequences or have respect or her carefree attitude.
It portrays how what goes on in the harsh environment of the adult world does not impinge on the wondrousness of childhood.❤
Good lord. I've been to those places. :-0 I remember that wizard!
A film that captures both childhood and poverty in such a brilliant way
the kids were incredible, dafoe was fantastic, more than worth a watch. Heavy.
This is one of the greatest films ever made. Do yourself a favor and watch it again.
I just watched this film knowing nothing about it. I loved it. From the colors, the camera angle, the heat of summer, the ice cream melting. This is the reality of many people represented, the innocence-of childhood and that fantastic ending (a slap to a fake greedy society!) Dreams for many never come true but our imaginations can lead us to safety. This mom did her best with almost zero tools at her disposal hence her ultimate end. This is very representative of that increasing segment of society that will never achieve the so called American Dream. A pipe in the Disney sky.
While both films explore adolescence, Moonlight and The Florida Project are two fairly different films. I don't think it's fair to compare the two considering each film is trying to express different themes.
I saw this at Leeds Film Fest last week. It's utterly wonderful. I don't think I've seen a film where the final shot so perfectly encapsulates the themes of the film than it does here.
I saw it at Leeds too and loved it. What did you think of the ending? I thought it let the film down a little.
Patrick Crellin its basically a fantasy sequence, a final escape.. I thought it was absolute perfection
Saw it at the Hyde Park Picture House! Absolutely loved it. Final sequence perfectly captured the wondrous innocence of the kids but also the hopeful life that may/may not be just out reach
Funny how you mentioned Ken Loach - I think this would be a pretty good companion piece to Loach's 'I, Daniel Blake'.
I love this film and everyone I’ve ever recommended to loves it after seeing it.
A funny, sad & heartbreaking depiction of the have nots, living in a world surrounded by the have’s.
MY ONLY QUESTION IS; "WHY ON EARTH DID IT HAVE TO END THIS WAY"????
Very excited to see this
The best film of this style was American Honey which was released the same year.
American Honey was a year prior no?
Just finished watching this and I thought it was wonderful. just to add though - when I saw Willam Dafoe I couldn't help thinking it was actually Sergeant Elias (the character he played in the movie "Platoon") using an alias. I imagined Elias did actually make it out of Vietnam and this is where he ended up when he got back to the US. I've never thought this about any of the other parts Willam Dafoe has played since staring in Platoon and it took nothing away from this film for me but there you go. Maybe its because I have a head full of cold at the moment.
@Mark Kermode
If you see this - Might be an idea for you to do a talk about movies you've seen and you cant help thinking that a certain character in the movie is the same character from a different move and if it effected your viewing and appreciation or not. Not sure if that makes sense but like I've already said - I have a head full of cold
Just a thought
great performances from the 3 leads
This just started playing in a theater near me. I’m a big fan of Sean Baker and can’t wait to see it!
I loved the film. It had me thinking all week.
I used to live in Kissimmee - the area shown in the film -when I started working for the Mouse. Sadly, it's pretty much exactly as is shown in the film, especially these days.
I hold old KermodeandMayo reviews in the same esteem as the old Siskel and Ebert clips on RUclips
The kid should have won a nominee
That six year old girl was biggest sarcastic troll I’ve ever seen in the history I’ve been watching movies.
Wonderful film.
Wonderful and heartbreaking film
This film is the modern and an American version of 'Pather Panchali'.
Avik Basu woow man. Nice homage!
This film reminded me very much of Edward Yang movies. Especially Yi Yi
Wow, great review- strange but powerful movie
A ethereal dream like ultra realistic experience.
Best film of the year
I think in general this is a hard film for Hollywood to accept. they don't want to accept the fact that it could compete with big budget studio projects as a no budget indie. they dont want to accept the fact that it successfully broke the traditional 3 act structure that is there bread and butter. they dont want to accept the fact that they an unknown was able to preform on the same level as actors they pay 5-20 million a film for. and most of all they dont like having to take a head on look at the realism of everyday poverty in America. it is unacceptable to be racist, sexist, or homophobic amongst liberal elites or Hollywood elites or whatever and that's why movies like "moonlight" "the Dallas buyers club" or "12 years a slave" (all great movies btw) did so well at that Oscars but this movie not only didn't do well, it wasn't even nominated (besides William for best supporting actor) for anything so that it could even not do well. classism and snubbing your nose at poor people is not just a republican thing and Democrats are not as progressive and willing to address the poverty issue as people make em out to be. that's just my theory though, doesn't mean its true.
I rode the helicopter next door!
I saw it last week at The prince Charles Cinema at Leicester Sq (quite surprised to see HRH being the popcorn counter!). I don't think I could quite call it a masterpiece although I enjoyed it immensely. It is very much a time capsule piece. It's very much in the vein of a 70's movie which typified the market pre Star Wars -very adult orientated with a somewhat downbeat tone throughout. As is with films that are over 40 years old the overall pace is so much slower than that of the stars of film of today. I think this adds to it's suspense. In addition the dependence upon real time practical special effects and actual existing environments can't help but give it an almost documentative feel.
I don't actually hate the ending, I don't think it's perfect but I wouldn't agree to end the film on the kid crying either, that'd be too unspecial
It makes you wish that Baker came up with a better way to end it though. Not that I have a solution but it seems lacking to me no matter how you slice it
Is only ten thousand times better than moonlight.
that's racist
How can it be "this year's Moonlight" if Moonlight came out this year?
Last Year in US
It is a 2016 movie.
Not in the UK it's not.
Moonlight won Best Picture back in March. Florida Project is in this year's awards race. International release dates don't matter.
Sleepy Skunk I know it won in March, that's still this year. And the next Oscars are in 2018, which is next year.
Why is Mark ALWAYS OUT OF FOCUS in these reviews?
This film is a strange beast. It's definitely a very good film with an absolutely incredible sense of atmosphere and quality performances from everyone involved. However, it just reminded me of films I prefer that tackle similar themes in a much more engaging way and without a certain sense of distance from it subjects. It has many of the same themes and ideas but not the same emotional power as something like I Daniel Blake. It doesn't have quite the same raw humanity (despite very much starting to get their) as something like Call Me by Your Name (my film of the year) or even Moonlight (a film I think is very good but also quite overrated.) It's also nowhere near as dramatically engaging as something like Captain Fantastic (also a very similar film in some ways.) Recommended, and I certainly understand the huge amount of critical acclaim but your time would probably be better spent seeking out Call Me By Your Name (a film that is 100% deserving of all its acclaim.)
There's no plot. We don't see a character with an urgent need that must be resolved. So atmosphere aside (and it does create atmosphere well), there is nothing to make me care about anyone in this film.
Dominic Morgan for me the dramatic tension lied in my empathy for the characters. I was rooting for the mom not to make bad decisions and for the kids to not have their innocence destroyed.
So once again A24 is massively underrated! Fans never actually get or understand the films and that their true works of art but critics they know what's up!
Much like the fantastic initial sequence of Valerian not being enough to redeem the film as a whole, the final sequence of this film isn’t enough to prevent it from being a load of old bilge
Wow, I thought that the final sequence of this film was the worst part, and the rest of it was great.
Don't understand the acclaim for the final shot. I thought it was out of place and didn't fit with the realist nature of the film. Interesting subject matter but overall it was a pretty average film
SkinZoTWS I think that's the point, surely?
there is a special place in hell for the normies who didn't understand the ending
I liked it, but there was no plot
Knew Mark would be soft on this - caught an advanced screening and was profoundly frustrated. Nothing that he says here is wrong to me (I especially caught the Moonlight comparisons on first viewing), but notice how he doesn't actually say what the *story* is.
The film is plotless, directionless and focusless. It lacks any semblance of narrative drive or cohesion, which is especially highlighted by some jarring editing choices. You could argue the aimlessness of the vignette structure reflects the stagnation of the central characters, but I'd argue it's bad storytelling and unengaging filmmaking. Great sense of place, mostly good technical skills at work, interesting characters, but a missed opportunity nonetheless.
mmmduckie True, at times I felt the plot was a little aimless, but to compensate I think the film properly (albeit quietly) builds a sense of foreboding and tension on the adults' side - the repeated motif of the helicopters, for example. I was perfectly happy with it and actually thought the loose structure worked in its favour.
mmmduckie Someday I'll figure out why the hell people are so obsessed with plot. They day you realize that a film can be carried by characters, your world will absolutely bloody change.
I believe films should be carried by both plot and characters - a film cannot survive on one without the other. Even something incredibly character-centric like Linklater's "Before" trilogy contains arcs, growth and change, and a movement of narrative that this film sorely lacks.
If the director only wanted to highlight these very real and pressing social injustices, I think perhaps a documentary would have better sufficed.
The whole point of constructing an original film is that every element of it, especially at this budget level, is under your complete control. The characters are strong and the feel of the place comes through the film beautifully, but a story for these characters to exist in and move through, I believe, could've made the director's ideas even more touching and profound (if done well).
mmmduckie I understand your point, but I don't think the movie had /no/ structure; I just think its structure was loose and the movement of the plot was deliberately difficult to detect. Considering one of the film's main themes is the obliviousness of children towards adults' struggles, this arguably makes sense.
I'd be interested to see what you thought of Napoleon Dynamite if you thought this was focusless!
Its not a good movie.
The film has a very trashy neo-realist feel to it. It also suffers by comparison to those great movies.
I hated it. Loved Tangerine, which was full of heart. This was just irritating with zero heart
I've not seen that, i'll def check it out. I just liked the way you grew to like the characters, despite their weakness and flaws they were still human and had emotions.
Zero heart? All the scenes with Halley and Mooney? Like when they're playing in the rain. No way. As someone who lives about an hour away, that relationship felt authentic and real. It all did until the ending which was obviously an imagination thing.
Tangerine is too trashy to the point that it feels like a joke
Thankyou.I cannot fathom the love this lazy film receiveth
I liked both Tangerine and The Florida Project, but the latter is the better, more polished, more fully realized film. The ambiguous ending of The Florida Project was cinematic perfection.
This is a beautifully shot and brilliantly acted film let down by the boring plot, which consists of watching some annoying kids hang out together most of the time, and the worst ending to a film I have ever seen.
I feel like the director got what they were aiming for, an impoverished society through a child's perspective, but unfortunately that wasn't something I wanted, and ruined a potentially great film.
bang on, kids were so annoying! Mum is an arsehole. No plot, ad libbed acting from kids, cheap trick
I disagree with your rather patronising reply. Maybe the problem was, they just didn't like it, people are allowed to have an opinion, just because it doesn't agree with yours. Have an open mind
PeterZeeke no
David Kajmowicz I saw it at a surprise preview without even knowing what film it was, and I'd never even heard of the film before hand
LegPuppy, Exactly my feelings. The kids were annoying. The adults were worse than the kids. And no plot.
Kids acting badly while playing badly acting kids.Are we supposed to love these delightful arsonist scamps?Meandering and slow. The Emperors New Clothes of a film. 112 minutes of emptiness
Jerry Cornelius id have to respectfully disagree. I felt like the kids gave brilliant performances. They acted like regular kids do. Kids play, they’re spontaneous, sometimes they’re brats. And this movie might have felt empty to some because it’s not a dramatic outside view of these horrifying circumstances. It’s from the perspective of a little girl who doesn’t understand the circumstances she’s living in. I felt as if I was spending the summer with a group of children. They were a delight to watch for me.
actually gave this film a second go-round.I think the kids are brilliantly directed and channeled by Baker, whose composition and pacing are better than I gave credit for...But (sigh)- I still think it over-rated, but I know everyone ive met who watched it were moved.
Kinda think American Honey did this so much better.But I digress...
'Immersed stupor": good phrase.I think Sasha Lane is a natural actor, whereas Bria Vinaite is a natural performer.And..(whispers) ..Lynne Ramsay is a better director.
@@jerrycornelius3466 Yes! Spot on! I agree.
boring movie, terrible ending
Paul McGuire Go back to your Transformers movies and superhero CGI schlock than ok
That girl just looks smelly
An absolutely worthless film. It was like a bad student short stretched out to be even more tedious.
normie
@@alquinn8576 Guess again.
@@donjindra normie
@@wholefoodstm4790 Guess again.
It captured childhood and made me weep like films rarely do. Superb.