Written by: Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch
Directed by: Sean Baker
Starring: Brooklynn Prince, Bria Vinaite, Willem Dafoe
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
Living within sight of Disney World's glittering attractions, the children of families residing in tacky motels near the mega park find mischief and adventure, led by the spirited six-year-old Moonee.
Verdict
Indie to the core, watching these characters is incredibly compelling. You could write Moonee off as a bad kid, and many people in her future will, but you get to see exactly why she acts as she does. It feels like a documentary as we see typical days at the motel at which these people reside.
Watch it.
Review
These are some rough kids, but it's learned behavior. It's really compelling watching these kids get in trouble, trying to and often gaming the system. Moonee learned that behavior from her mom. The movie doesn't have a typical plot. We see typical days at the motel which is the only place many of these characters can afford to live. They grift to make ends meet, and Moonee does the same thing.
This feels a lot like Baker's first film Tangerine (read my review). It's got a documentary feel. We're just spying on these character's lives. The style provides a realistic feel. We see Dicky and his family move away. The father tells Dicky there is no room in the car for his toys. The other kids descend on the box and the father promises Dicky he'll get new toys when they get to their new home, but I don't believe it. It's a harsh world in which these characters live and that
Willem Dafoe is the maintenance guy. He's the one unofficially tasked with keeping order. As much as the kids annoy him and add to his tasks, he cares for them to some degree. When he senses a man might be a predator, he runs him off.
Watching this, I wondered where it would go. Moonee's mom gets into a fight with her former best friend so I figured CPS was in the future. This had a fantastic ending lined up, consequences are afoot while Dafoe's character has his back to everything smoke a cigarette. Then we get another scene that's a complete change of tone and style. We finally get a glimpse of the Disney castle, though I don't know if it's more or less cynical than the Dafoe smoking ending.
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