The Florida Project

"US auteur Sean Baker’s slice-of-life indie has been generating a surprising amount of awards heat. The surprise is no reflection on its quality – which is beyond reproach – but because it features a largely unknown cast, no moralising or easy redemptions, and tells us more about life than it does about movies."

"[A] brilliant, buoyant, and ultimately heart-wrenching film."

"As a filmmaker, Baker is a graceful neorealist voyeur who thrives on improvisation, and his storytelling, in The Florida Project, is mostly just a series of anecdotes. But that turns out to be enough."

"Things look grim for Halley and Moonee, but we can expect a lot from the people who brought their marvelous story to light."

"Some of these scenes feel so spontaneous they could be mistaken for documentary."

"An interesting companion piece and contrast to Ken Loach's award-winning I, Daniel Blake."

"A remarkable study of poverty, family and personal responsibility, The Florida Project meticulously illustrates how life on the margins affects one impressionable six-year-old."

"A tough-but-beautiful watch, like a glowing colour version of something from the post-war Italian New Wave."

"Beautiful, vibrant, heartfelt and hilarious."

"A fabulous mosaic of one particular pocket of America's invisible homeless population - families living hand-to-mouth in motels originally designed to catch the tourist overspill from the flashy theme-park resorts across town."

"By no stretch an easy watch, but it’s an incredibly rewarding one."

"In an era with remarkable child actors in films such as 'Room' and 'Moonlight', Baker's ability to siphon such authentic performances is truly a marvel."