Sean Baker’s follow-up to his acclaimed Tangerine swaps the iPhone for 35mm, but keeps the focus on marginalized members of society. The way he chooses to tell this story makes it one that is at once joyous, and entirely heartbreaking.

The film centres around six year-old Moonee (Brooklynn Prince), who lives in the budget motel The Magic Castle, just outside of Disneyland, with her young mother, Halley (Bria Vinaite). It details Moonee’s exploits as we follow her and her friends on their various adventures over a summer. Moonee’s world is full of innocence and play, but behind it are darker matters such as her mother’s poor financial state which leads her to increasingly shadier means of providing enough money for them to afford to live in this motel. They are supported by the motel’s manager Bobby (Willem Dafoe), a firm but compassionate figure.

The film essentially captures a snapshot of a life that we are privy to, for the most part, solely through a child’s eyes. The decision to show most of the story from Moonee’s perspective allows it to be unexpectedly joyous and bubbly as we are swept up in this six year-olds mischievous adventures. We are carried away with their gleeful innocence, yet there are moments where we see or understand something Moonee doesn’t, and the film pulls back to remind us of the harsh reality. The instances where we break from the child’s view and are with the adults provide some disturbing moments that interrupt the enchanting spell of childhood innocence, some briefly, others with more lingering effect. However, Baker handles his tone expertly, allowing the film to breathe and pulse with glorious life and joy for the most part, but knows when to lace it with heartbreak. He has crafted a world that really feels alive, and characters that feel like they exist outside of the space between the opening and closing frames.

Of course, these characters, and the film, could not work without the performances to fill them out, and The Florida Project delivers incredible acting in spades from non-professionals as much as the seasoned veterans. As Moonee, Prince is the true definition of a breakout, delivering one of the best child performances ever put to screen, and one of the best performances of this year. She is magnetic, captivating you with a performance that is winning and entirely naturalistic, flitting between the wonderfully uplifting and truly heart wrenching. Her Moonee is confident and precocious, but never strays into the territory of arrogance or annoyance. She is entirely endearing, and a phenomenal actress who has announced herself in a big way here. Her fellow child actors are also brilliantly believeable, and never feel forced – perhaps one of the greatest child casts of all time. Another breakout here is Vinaite as Moonee’s mother, Halley. Found on Instagram, a non-professional in her first role, she is entirely convincing as the struggling mother, layering her character so as not to fall into any stereotypes, and crafts her as her own person, not merely who she is as Moonee’s mother. This hopefully marks the start of a great career for them both. As the only veteran actor and recognisable name in the cast, Dafoe too is excellent and gives an incredible performance characterised by subtlety. He too sidesteps the stereotype pitfall (assisted by the script) of purely being the ‘father figure’ role. He is caring and concerned about Moonee and her mother, protecting them as best he can, but he is also his own person with his own troubles, struggling to keep his hotel running, and practical in pressing for rent. You get the sense he isn’t doing much better than his residents in terms of their financial state, but he cares for them as a community. His tenderness is moving, and the layers intricate. The entire cast breathes such life into the film, and have such a beautiful chemistry that their characters will surely stay with you.

The film is also visually stunning. Baker and cinematographer Alexis Zabe present such a luminous landscape full of bright colours and enchanting sights, furthering the use of the child’s-eye-view by presenting such unfortunate circumstances in such a vibrant way. This complete choice of perspective strengthens the film’s power and keeps it more engaging, than perhaps a more traditional view on the story would.

The film is not only brilliantly crafted and enjoyable, but really serves a purpose in shining a light on these underrepresented families. In an area that is globally seen as a holiday destination and ‘the happiest place on Earth’, it forces the audience to confront and acknowledge the harsh reality that many people living there face – a reality that has been largely ignored. The film’s humanity and authenticity emphasises the fact that there are real people like Moonee, Halley, Bobby and the others, and through the fictional characters makes their existence feel more real. The film also features a striking ending (emphasised by a jarring switch in medium) that may feel abrupt, but ensures that you will keep thinking about it, and thus about the real people.

The Florida Project is a stunning accomplishment that manages to be at once joyful and heartbreaking, capturing the innocence of childhood whilst conveying the harsh realities the real people face. It is laugh-out-loud funny, but also packs a big emotional punch. It is a great cinematic achievement, but also a humanitarian one in its sympathetic portrayal of the vulnerable hidden homeless, that will hopefully bring more awareness to them. The film’s world and its characters feel like they exist beyond the limits of the cinema screen, and indeed, the sad fact is, they do.