As of Thursday, I had not watched a movie since the semester started. That changed this weekend, as I finally had some time to watch a movie many consider one of the best films of last year, Sean Baker’s “The Florida Project.” Those same people caused a stir after the film received a paltry one Oscar nomination. Consider me among those upset by the lack of nominations for this brilliant film. “The Florida Project” is Baker’s follow-up to 2015’s “Tangerine,” a movie about transgender prostitutes in Los Angeles that was shot entirely on iPhones. For this film, writer/director/editor Baker focuses on “the hidden homeless” population of Orlando Florida. These people are on the edge of being homeless, staying at cheap motels mere blocks from the happiest place on earth. Specifically, the film follows a sassy six-year-old girl named Moonee (Brooklynn …show more content…
The film mostly shows us only what they see, trapping us in the perspective of a child. Combined with the superb writing from Baker and his frequent collaborator Chris Bergoch, “The Florida Project” is one of the best examples I can think of showing us the world from a child’s view. From a directorial standpoint, Baker also manages the tone here flawlessly. This movie has moments of humor, suspense, discomfort and heartbreaking emotions. They can coexist in one movie purely because of the talent of Baker, who never goes too big with any of these disparate tones. From a screenwriting perspective, Baker and Bergoch do a peerless job of making us understand the situation of these hidden homeless. The best example of this is with Halley, someone we feel frustrated and angry with at times because of the terrible way she raises her daughter, but who we also feel empathy for her because we see the struggles she has. Baker and Bergoch break down stereotypes, helping us walk a mile in these people’s shoes. It’s humanist filmmaking at its
People naturally look down on the homeless and think they can just go to Centrelink however Elliott proves this generalisation of the homeless wrong. She does this by using an expert from the National Welfare Rights Network, Gerard Thomas who explains that "these people don’t have photo ID, birth certificates, and a driver’s license." By using an expert the writer is able to portray to her audience that this is a problem where the homeless "just fall through the cracks." By the use of rebuttals Elliott is able to create a sympathetic mood towards the homeless that makes the audience want to make a change to the unfair
...ily instead of able bodied Americans (who they would have to pay 5 to 10 dollars per hour) are struggling in the job market. From this it can be concluded that a specific message that both films possess is that change is good and it is an essential element towards development. That is the reason why documentary film maker Michael Moore emphasizes in his documentary those American companies are required to hire Americans. In the film “Pleasantville” a great example of the above theme occurs when Jennifer points out two teenagers as proof that the citizens of Pleasantville have an abundance of potential, according to her they simply do not know any better. Two teenagers can be seen having a conversation, they seem to be engaged in a conversation but it is simply not going anywhere, but as they both begin to get physically closer the girl’s bubble gum develops colour.
Social issues are difficult to write about because they are simplistic and problematic. Johnson doesn’t say the homeless issue in Los Angeles is good or bad. The story describes the characters leaning more towards bad, but never directly states this. Johnson explores the characters reactions to the issue. From this story, we learn it is easier for this particular family and society to ignore an issue rather than address it.
Mark Peterson’s 1994 photograph, Image of Homelessness, compares the everyday life of the working class to the forgotten life of the lowest class in society. In the image, the viewer can see a troubled homeless man wrapped in a cocoon of standard manipulated 12in by 12in cardboard boxes and yarn. The yarn is what is keeping the man and box tied to the red bench. This bench has chipped paint and is right in front of a black fence. Underneath the bench is dirt and debris from the dead fall leaves. The center focal point is the homeless man on the bench. He is the focal point because he is the greatest outsider known to man. Behind this man is vibrant life. There is pulsating people crossing the clean street, signs of life from all the advertising on store windows, families walking and blurred cars filled with
A suburban life is a paradise full of shopping, colorful gardens, and well-groomed homes. Despite all these benefits, a suburban life is an isolated life. People living in suburbs are rarely exposed to miseries in society. One of these conflicts is homelessness. When living in an environment surrounded by homes, individuals often have difficulty imagining not being able to sleep in a warm bed, eat a proper meal or even receive necessary medical attention. This grim situation is depicted in the writings of Jeannette Walls. In the autobiography The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls accurately portrays homelessness by explaining its causes, its impact upon daily life, and its effect on victimized families.
195-214, 2015). This is further proven within The Florida Project when audiences easily understand the pain of the characters due to the extreme authenticity of the scenes. Many of the lines in the film were not even written, instead, Baker allowed the cast to become the character and say what they thought appropriate. The actions and expressions of the characters were realistic to the cast’s own personalities. The struggles of low-income and social divide that the characters experience are intensified in the audience’s emotions due to the relatability of the cast. For example, in the end of the film Moonee is extremely upset because she can no longer live with her mother. As tears progressively fall down her face, we see the pain and genuine fear she has in that moment. The pure shock and heartbreak audiences are meant to feel would not be as extreme without the raw emotion of Brooklyn Prince radiating through Moonie’s
This movie is about David and Jennifer, who live in Southern America in the ‘90s which was said to be a liberal state, are sent from reality to a TV show ‘Pleasantville’ in 1950s. From reality looking through this TV show, Pleasantville looks like an ideal place for people to live in, but getting a closer look and being part of this world you actually realize that it is very different from what is shown on TV. After David and Jennifer arriving to Pleasantville, they become colorless, everything there is either black, white or gray. People then expose their conservative lifestyles with suppression of sexuality, discrimination and restrictive of personal liberty and imagination. In Pleasantville, people assume that there is no outside world other
...on the homeless community. I previously held preconceived notions that the homeless consisted of people who were either unable to connect and form relationships with others or didn’t desire to do so. Yet, I observed most everyone greeting one another and reminiscing with those who have been absent from the community for a while, as well as, expressing concern for those missing. I recognized that the homeless may live in a non-traditional way, but they have established their own communities and are successful in forming and maintaining cohesive relationships.
The movie Wendy and Lucy focuses on several problems that happened in society today that we like to overlook. The problems with poverty like being homeless have become a big problem in the world. This film which stars Michelle Williams, Walter Dalton, and Will Patton demonstrate the struggles that a person living in poverty face on a daily base and what they will do to make it. This movie also demonstrates a message that there are people out there that are willing to help the homeless, and then there are people who refuse to help.
National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH), is a network of different groups, individuals and organizations that are working together to eradicate homelessness, provide resources and protect their civil rights. NCH is doing a lot of work in providing awareness around the issue of homelessness. They do this through their four educational programs: Faces of Homelessness Speakers’ Bureau Panel Presentation, Organizing for Housing Justice, Homeless Challenge and Outreach Runs. They also organize many campaigns to engage the public in this issue. One project that stood out is their speaker’s bureau panel presentation in which the public are engaging in the dialogue of homelessness by hearing the stories of those that have experienced it. In Chapter 4 of When We Fight We Win, it talks a lot about the importance of storytelling and its importance for it creates a sense of understanding, healing, and commonality that unites people to build coalitions and stand in solidarity about it to address
The Spanish had great expectations of Florida despite disastrous results from expeditions such as Ponce de Leon and Lucas Vazquez de Ayllon's. In a description of the panhandle region from Hernando de Soto's campaigns, Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo wrote, “The Province of Apalache is very fertile and abundantly provided with much corn, kidney beans, pumpkins, various fruits, much venison, many varieties of birds and excellent fishing near the sea.” Notwithstanding the environmental benefits, the Spanish were ultimately unsuccessful in establishing a plantation economy in Florida. Both the British and the proto-Seminoles achieved greater success in establishing a plantation economy after the failure of the Spanish. Many factors contributed to the success of the proto-Seminoles and British in Florida including increased population, choice of economy, and African presence in Florida.
Statistically, over 670,000 Americans are homeless with a growing number. 48 million people go to bed hungry every night. Although we do provide shelters and opportunities in America, millions of people are homeless worldwide. Even on a more minor level there are still hundreds homeless within hometowns. Everyday we encounter the homeless whether by seeing them holding their personal signs at stoplights, confronts with beggars, or viewing them from afar under bridges. In her essay titled “On Compassion”, writer Barbara Ascher uses rhetorical techniques detailing some of her personal homeless experiences within the city life, Asher does effectively use logos, pathos,
John Singleton’s view of social problems in South Central Los Angeles happens in a tale of three friends growing up together. Doughboy and Ricky Baker are half-brothers and have opposite personalities. Ricky is a football player who hopes to win a scholarship and spends most of his time playing football. On the other hand, Doughboy is a young man who looks upon his environment for guidance. He is involved in violence, abusing drugs, and participates in violence. In between is their friend Tre, who actually has a father to teach him what is right from wrong. Furious Styles, who is Tre’s father in the film does everything in his strength to keep his son from becoming another startling statistic. As you can see, it is always important for parents to be a part of their child’s life because it can make a big difference not only in their life but also their child’s future.
“A 12-Part Video Series about Homelessness in Southern California.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, Apr. 2016, www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-biagiotti-onthestreets-20151118-htmlstory.html.
The Image of Homelessness, captured by Mark Peterson in 1994, shows two perspectives of how people live their lives. In the center of the photograph you see a short, black, rounded fence, no higher than the old, brown bench placed in front of it. On the bench is a temporary shelter made of cardboard boxes, tied down with strings. To the right of the fence is a thin, sick looking tree with trash and dead leaves surrounding the base of the tree. In the bottom left corner of the photo is a box placed under the bench and reads: “Handle with Care,” which is ironic as the living conditions show a complete lack of care. Above the fence, stretching across the top of the photo, the sun shines on the blurred Burger King