Willem Dafoe, the angel that you are.

“The Florida Project” follows a 6-year old named Moonee (Brooklynn Prince) who lives in a motel with her mother (Bria Vinaite) in Florida. Together they find ways to get into trouble and make ends meet. Willem Dafoe and Caleb Landry Jones also star as Sean Baker directs and co-writes.

Just like “Moonlight,” another A24 film set in Florida and featuring struggle, “Florida” features colorful cinematography, a solid musical score, and an anchoring supporting performance from a father figure, though suffers from some narrative flaws.

Right off the bat, Brooklynn Prince is a star in the making. She plays Moonee, who is equal parts lovable and annoying. She is the type of child you know means well but you can also tell that if she doesn’t get the right leadership she is going to grow up and fail to make anything of herself. Prince swears, ignores adults’ directions, and gets other kids in trouble and does it with a smile on her face the whole time; she will get plenty of work moving forward in her career.

Wiliem Dafoe plays Bobby, the manager of the motel and he acts as the father figure for both Moonee and her mother, Halley. Dafoe has his normal growling way about him, but also realizes that this impoverished lifestyle is all Moonee and her friends have so he tries to give them as many benefit of the doubts as possible. He is a guardian angel character and on more than one occasion steps up to the plate to be a hero, which makes it all the more heart-breaking when he is powerless to come to the aid of Moonee and her mother when circumstances get out of his control.

As I said, the film looks and sounds great with the backdrop of Florida, with all of its graffiti and palm trees, acting almost as a character in its own right. It really shows that while cities like Orlando may be filled with tourists and gift shops, citizens of those areas rarely see the money brought in and struggle to make a life worth living.

The film’s biggest issue lies in its narrative, because despite running for 115 minutes there are only about 90 minutes worth of content in here. Characters get into trouble and then move on to the next plot point, with no real development or consequences happening along the way. They attempt to throw in a small plot twist towards the end but most people will see it coming the very first time it’s hinted at. I also don’t think the ending totally works.

“The Florida Project” is well-acted and does a nice job depicting a life not-oft shown in cinema. While you will be thankful you never have to live in the same circumstances as its characters—and even more thankful that you won’t have to spend time with them in real life—it is an honest film that on the rare occasion scratches the surface of great.

Critics Rating: 7/10