The Florida Project

The tourist hot-spot of Orlando, Florida, also hosts numerous low-cost motels where this slice-of-life drama unfolds. Bria Vinaite's tattooed, sometime dancer and 20-something single mum is just about managing to get by, while her six-year-old daughter (the amazing Brooklynn Prince, in a star-making debut) has the run of the place with her wee pals, whose families face similar circumstances. Director Sean Baker - noted for the indie hit Tangerine that was shot on his iPhone, but working on a larger canvas here - follows the kids' everyday mischief in a captivating portrait of childhood innocence. As the motel's kindly manager Willem Dafoe can't help but notice however, Vinaite's increasingly desperate measures to provide for her daughter may prompt trouble with the authorities. The tension between childhood and adult worlds proves ominously compelling, until Baker delivers a finale of overwhelming emotional intensity, sharpened by the story's close proximity to the dreamland of Walt Disney World. Its potent combination of empathy, observation and miraculously natural performances make this a modern classic, with strong echoes of Ken Loach's very best work. Think of it as a Cathy Come Home for Donald Trump's America.