Moonee, a millionaire at the Dollar Store and an underprivileged six year old at the Magic Castle Inn. Although the Magic Castle Inn is one of the many budget friendly hotels that surround DisneyWorld’s property, Halley (Moonee’s mother) struggles to pay rent on time to the manager of the hotel, Bobby. But that isn't something a six year old dwells on, instead they eat icecream with friends because they “have asthma” and “the doctor” said they have to!

The Florida Project,  an A24 production gives us the optimistic eyes of sweet Moonee. Sleepovers, shared ice cream, and breakfast for dinner are all things Moonee does day to day with her group of friends, Scooty and Jancey. It's all too genuine, you forget you're on a couch with popcorn as you get sucked into their world. The brilliant director, Sean Baker made this all possible with the cast and crew. Baker tells The Hollywood Reporter, they found Christopher Rivera (Scooty) “in one of the motels the director was planning to use as a location.” Acting based on the environment he grew up in easily sets him apart from other actors; being able to add that authentic touch to the film. Baker knew that which is why he also hit up Bria Vinaite (Halley) on Instagram, "She didn't have a care, and didn't have a filter," Baker admits to Wired.

As the movie progresses we catch glimpses on the way Halley truly tried to bring herself back up the food-chain. To Moone, what Halley does to the tourist is just a harmless trick. The cinematography by Alexis Zabe separates Moonee’s world from the adult world in the film. Zabe does this with the color palettes and perspective of a six year old old. In an interview with Panavision, Zabe says, “Everything is a little more intense. You know -- everything’s new.” Not every scene is meant to be captivating and that's what keeps it real. In the scene where Halley is trying to sell perfume to pedestrians, those are real pedestrians. The film crew then had to go chase them down to get them to sign a waiver so the footage could be used in the film. 

Different perspectives allow different emotions. There are many things Baker did with the film but the one thing he perfectly grasped was nostalgia. “This may be the last time I see you,” Moonee cries to Jancey as the camera work is switched to an Iphone. We’ve all experienced fear, its a blur. Witnessing how confused she was and how badly she wanted to escape makes the audience sulk back into a point of time where we’ve felt hopeless and restricted.   

By the end you’re stuck in your head, dwelling. About Moone, Halley and the characters whom you formed a connection with. Those last 10 minutes however give you the spark of hope you need, what Moone needed.