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| Scene from The Florida Project |
In case you didn't know, A24 is one of the great purveyors of modern cinema. Since 2013, the studio has found a way to innovate independent cinema by turning each release into an event. As a result, A24 A-to-Z will be an ongoing series that looks at every release from the studio by analyzing its production history, release, criticisms, and any awards attention that it might've received. Join me on a quest to explore the modern heroes of cinema by exploring every hit and miss that comes with that magnificent logo. They may not all be great, but they more than make A24 what it is and what it will hopefully continue to be for ears to come.
Released: October 13, 2017
Release Number: 56
Directed By: Sean Baker
Starring: Brooklynn Pierce, Bria Vinaite, Willem Dafoe
Plot: Set over one summer, the film follows precocious six-year-old Moonee as she courts mischief and adventure with her ragtag playmates and bonds with her rebellious but caring mother, all while living in the shadows of Walt Disney World.
Major Awards
Oscars
Nominated:
-Best Supporting Actor (Willem Dafoe)
Golden Globes
Nominated:
-Best Supporting Actor (Willem Dafoe)
While one wouldn't guess by the critically panned Woodshock, A24 was gearing up for one of their strongest Fall seasons yet. While Lady Bird and The Disaster Artist would dominate conversations, director Sean Baker's The Florida Project was the studio's stealth move. In a lot of ways a film shot on the fly in a motel in Florida shouldn't have done as well as it did. It was the magic of Baker's indie spirit and choice to cast an Instagram model as a lead actress that only added to the mystique of the film. It was a heartbreaking look into a lower class lifestyle that leans closer to the cinema verite of Good Time while presenting a story with so many personal moments of charm. More than any other film that year, it was the surprise favorite in large part because of how small it feels. It was something that the studio strove for, and like all of their best gambles - it has gone on to be one of their definitive releases.
Baker is a filmmaker that is curious about the lower class. His previous film, Tangerine, was an ode to Los Angeles County prostitutes working on Christmas that was shot entirely on iPhone. It spawned an Oscar campaign from Mark and Jay Duplass, which would've lead the actresses to be the first trans Oscar nominees in history. Whatever the case may be, his love of people pinching pennies to get by carried over into his next film. The Florida Project was named after Disney World's in production name. It's partially why the film takes place in Osceola County, Florida. It was a motel shot very close to the actual Disney World and was meant to symbolize a greater disparity between those who have the ability to visit the theme park, and those like protagonist Moonee (Broklynn Prince) who have to use their surroundings in substitution. Speaking as the place was also being revamped for tourism around the same time, it became abundantly clear why they chose this specific location.
The actual motel in the film was real and not rented entirely out. Baker was in awe of the design of the building and felt that they needed to film there. With assistance and approval from the managers, they would shoot in every room that was not rented out to guests. This caused some effort to work around reality, though Baker wasn't opposed to having the motel's patrons appear in the background randomly. He also wrote helicopters into the script in large part because they kept flying over and he couldn't afford to keep them quiet. The cast was also predominantly no-name actors because Baker wanted the film to feel as real as possible. In fact, Christopher Rivera (Scooty) was someone who benefited from the movie, as he was living in motels beforehand. He managed to gain a scholarship after its release. Baker also notes that he found Bria Vinaite one night while looking through Instagram accounts. He was attracted to her appearance and tracked her down. Similarly, Baker found Valeria Cotto (Jancey) at a Target. As for Willem Dafoe, one of the few trained actors, the two had become friends and Baker admired how Dafoe could transform into characters as an actor and could bring a warmth to the film, which was at that point seen as against type of the villainous roles he currently plays.
The film was shot predominantly on 35 mm, though there was one scene where Baker shot once again on iPhone. It is the final scene where Moonee breaks into Disney World. Beyond that, he traveled up and down the highway to find places for the characters to roam. Because of their limitations, he ended up having the film being predominantly scripted. He admired how Prince was capable of memorizing lines. He only ever let her improvise in scenes that required her to interact with the public, especially a scene where she had to sell cosmetics to strangers. Baker was so impressed that after she had said every line in the script, he once let her have fun with the role as he filmed it. Dafoe meanwhile was required to play the center of realism for the story and did this by arriving at the motel a week early to learn from the manager how everything operated. Despite its realism, many noted that his ability to walk down hallways was reminiscent of a Grand Hotel-style scene where doors open and he gets to interact with everyone in the film. As a whole, the shooting was a success and even saved money. One scene required a rainbow in the background, which would run $50,000 in CGI. When they found a rainbow over the motel one day, they jumped into action and filmed it, thus saving money.
The film went on to play at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival as part of the Directors Fortnight selection. Shortly after, A24 would purchase the distribution rights to the film. It would go into a limited release that October, backed largely by positive buzz and the belief that Dafoe gave an Oscar-worthy performance. At $11.3 million, it was one of A24's highest grossing movies and one of the many to hold that honor from the Fall 2017 season (Lady Bird would go on to temporarily hold the title as highest grossing for a few months). It was also the first major awards contender for the studio, with most attention going towards Dafoe's Best Supporting actor nominations. The American Film Institute would go on to name it one of the year's Top 10 best movies alongside Lady Bird. Much like the Greta Gerwig directorial debut, the film wouldn't be nearly as successful in turning those nominations into wins, especially at the Oscars. There was even a small tangent of people who believed that the film being snubbed for Oscars' Best Picture was one of the biggest controversies of the year.
Without much surprise, The Florida Project was also among A24's highest rated films, period. On critics aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, it would earn a 96% rating. Ironically, it once again was in hot competition with Lady Bird, which would once again outrank it with a firm 100% rating at one point. Still, the reviews were glowing, with Christy Lemire of What the Flick?! commenting "I knew form the first shot that I was watching a truly great movie... It's so real, it's so raw." Colin Covert of Minneapolis Star Tribune also chimed in with the note that "It doesn't just show what its characters go through, it observes. It notices. It studies. This is a film that pays attention to the little details that communicate huge feelings." Notorious critic Armond White was one of few who disagreed, shrugging "The Florida Project represents a new low in class condescension... [Director] Baker loves irresponsible, antisocial types, and his method is similarly undisciplined." Elsewhere, critics like David Ehrlich of Indiewire would include the film in their Top 10 for 2017.
As far films go, The Florida Project was one that would become ubiquitous with the charm and effort that A24 would become known for. Maybe it was because it was another indie auteur creating something unexpected and unique. It brought to life a story that was at times unpleasant, but all so empathetic and effective in ways that would lead some to fall in love with the story. It may have not ended up the runaway hit during awards season that Moonlight did the year before, but it was something that resonated with audiences, and all with an Instagram star in the lead. The Florida Project cemented its reputation as one of the studio's best in a list of undeniable hits. The same couldn't be said for the next film, which was a bit odd considering that director Giorgos Lanthimos' previous film, The Lobster, was another great film. No, The Killing of a Sacred Deer was arguably one of their best divisive films of the year, if just because of how food was eaten in the film.
Up Next:The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
Major Awards
Oscars
Nominated:
-Best Supporting Actor (Willem Dafoe)
Golden Globes
Nominated:
-Best Supporting Actor (Willem Dafoe)
While one wouldn't guess by the critically panned Woodshock, A24 was gearing up for one of their strongest Fall seasons yet. While Lady Bird and The Disaster Artist would dominate conversations, director Sean Baker's The Florida Project was the studio's stealth move. In a lot of ways a film shot on the fly in a motel in Florida shouldn't have done as well as it did. It was the magic of Baker's indie spirit and choice to cast an Instagram model as a lead actress that only added to the mystique of the film. It was a heartbreaking look into a lower class lifestyle that leans closer to the cinema verite of Good Time while presenting a story with so many personal moments of charm. More than any other film that year, it was the surprise favorite in large part because of how small it feels. It was something that the studio strove for, and like all of their best gambles - it has gone on to be one of their definitive releases.
Baker is a filmmaker that is curious about the lower class. His previous film, Tangerine, was an ode to Los Angeles County prostitutes working on Christmas that was shot entirely on iPhone. It spawned an Oscar campaign from Mark and Jay Duplass, which would've lead the actresses to be the first trans Oscar nominees in history. Whatever the case may be, his love of people pinching pennies to get by carried over into his next film. The Florida Project was named after Disney World's in production name. It's partially why the film takes place in Osceola County, Florida. It was a motel shot very close to the actual Disney World and was meant to symbolize a greater disparity between those who have the ability to visit the theme park, and those like protagonist Moonee (Broklynn Prince) who have to use their surroundings in substitution. Speaking as the place was also being revamped for tourism around the same time, it became abundantly clear why they chose this specific location.
The actual motel in the film was real and not rented entirely out. Baker was in awe of the design of the building and felt that they needed to film there. With assistance and approval from the managers, they would shoot in every room that was not rented out to guests. This caused some effort to work around reality, though Baker wasn't opposed to having the motel's patrons appear in the background randomly. He also wrote helicopters into the script in large part because they kept flying over and he couldn't afford to keep them quiet. The cast was also predominantly no-name actors because Baker wanted the film to feel as real as possible. In fact, Christopher Rivera (Scooty) was someone who benefited from the movie, as he was living in motels beforehand. He managed to gain a scholarship after its release. Baker also notes that he found Bria Vinaite one night while looking through Instagram accounts. He was attracted to her appearance and tracked her down. Similarly, Baker found Valeria Cotto (Jancey) at a Target. As for Willem Dafoe, one of the few trained actors, the two had become friends and Baker admired how Dafoe could transform into characters as an actor and could bring a warmth to the film, which was at that point seen as against type of the villainous roles he currently plays.
The film was shot predominantly on 35 mm, though there was one scene where Baker shot once again on iPhone. It is the final scene where Moonee breaks into Disney World. Beyond that, he traveled up and down the highway to find places for the characters to roam. Because of their limitations, he ended up having the film being predominantly scripted. He admired how Prince was capable of memorizing lines. He only ever let her improvise in scenes that required her to interact with the public, especially a scene where she had to sell cosmetics to strangers. Baker was so impressed that after she had said every line in the script, he once let her have fun with the role as he filmed it. Dafoe meanwhile was required to play the center of realism for the story and did this by arriving at the motel a week early to learn from the manager how everything operated. Despite its realism, many noted that his ability to walk down hallways was reminiscent of a Grand Hotel-style scene where doors open and he gets to interact with everyone in the film. As a whole, the shooting was a success and even saved money. One scene required a rainbow in the background, which would run $50,000 in CGI. When they found a rainbow over the motel one day, they jumped into action and filmed it, thus saving money.
The film went on to play at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival as part of the Directors Fortnight selection. Shortly after, A24 would purchase the distribution rights to the film. It would go into a limited release that October, backed largely by positive buzz and the belief that Dafoe gave an Oscar-worthy performance. At $11.3 million, it was one of A24's highest grossing movies and one of the many to hold that honor from the Fall 2017 season (Lady Bird would go on to temporarily hold the title as highest grossing for a few months). It was also the first major awards contender for the studio, with most attention going towards Dafoe's Best Supporting actor nominations. The American Film Institute would go on to name it one of the year's Top 10 best movies alongside Lady Bird. Much like the Greta Gerwig directorial debut, the film wouldn't be nearly as successful in turning those nominations into wins, especially at the Oscars. There was even a small tangent of people who believed that the film being snubbed for Oscars' Best Picture was one of the biggest controversies of the year.
Without much surprise, The Florida Project was also among A24's highest rated films, period. On critics aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, it would earn a 96% rating. Ironically, it once again was in hot competition with Lady Bird, which would once again outrank it with a firm 100% rating at one point. Still, the reviews were glowing, with Christy Lemire of What the Flick?! commenting "I knew form the first shot that I was watching a truly great movie... It's so real, it's so raw." Colin Covert of Minneapolis Star Tribune also chimed in with the note that "It doesn't just show what its characters go through, it observes. It notices. It studies. This is a film that pays attention to the little details that communicate huge feelings." Notorious critic Armond White was one of few who disagreed, shrugging "The Florida Project represents a new low in class condescension... [Director] Baker loves irresponsible, antisocial types, and his method is similarly undisciplined." Elsewhere, critics like David Ehrlich of Indiewire would include the film in their Top 10 for 2017.
As far films go, The Florida Project was one that would become ubiquitous with the charm and effort that A24 would become known for. Maybe it was because it was another indie auteur creating something unexpected and unique. It brought to life a story that was at times unpleasant, but all so empathetic and effective in ways that would lead some to fall in love with the story. It may have not ended up the runaway hit during awards season that Moonlight did the year before, but it was something that resonated with audiences, and all with an Instagram star in the lead. The Florida Project cemented its reputation as one of the studio's best in a list of undeniable hits. The same couldn't be said for the next film, which was a bit odd considering that director Giorgos Lanthimos' previous film, The Lobster, was another great film. No, The Killing of a Sacred Deer was arguably one of their best divisive films of the year, if just because of how food was eaten in the film.
Up Next:The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
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