The Florida Project & Youth Representation

The Florida Project does an amazing job of demonstrating how children have the capacity to care for each other. The Florida Project is a movie about the families living in extreme poverty just a few minutes away from Disney World. The main character, Moonee, is a young girl whose mother is struggling with substance abuse, sex work, and violence. Jancey is someone Moonee met recently, while Scooty and Moonee have been best friends. They spend the filming finding things to do in a place where their opportunities remain limited.

With a lack of parental guidance and access to the resources many of their peers might have, the kid's idea of fun includes spitting on people's cars, cursing adults out and burning down an abandoned house. Throughout it all though, Moonee, Jancey, and Scooty maintain a degree of childlike innocence as they also spend time running in the rain, talking for hours, and simply hanging out. While living in poverty, they can still enjoy their life and care for each other.

Towards the end of the story, Child Protective Services comes to take Moonee away because they don't think the mom is fit to support her. While Moonee is being taken away, she's able to get the agents off of her and run to where Jancey lives. While she's there, she starts crying and saying how much she's going to miss Jancey. Moonee's emotions demonstrate the bonds that children make so quickly with each other and how deep they can form attachments and friendships. In the most dangerous and scary part of her life, she runs straight to her friend. This example also shows the power of friendship and how these children always care for each other, when they know nobody else will.

Some people will absolutely hate this movie and judge the children's actions. Even though they wreak havoc on their little community, they're always looking out for one another. These children have created a pact that blocks out the trouble of the world. The children care for each other more than their guardians could because of their own internal struggles. The children's friendship is a safe place for them to be themselves. In this way, The Florida Project does a fabulous job at demonstrating the depth and compassion of young children and their capacity to care for one another.