Moonee, a six-year-old girl, lives with her young white-trash mum in a motel down the road from the theme parks of Florida, and a million miles removed from them. The title alludes ironically to the original name for Disneyworld, but of course 'project' in America also means their equivalent of a council estate, and that reflects what the residents of the motel are; largely unemployed and reliant on scams to make ends meet. None less so than Moonee's mother, a torrent of f-words and disrespect for others, including Willem Dafoe's put-upon and kind-hearted motel manager, and only barring her daughter, who skips blithely along with her little friends, oblivious to the bleakness of the situation. With such role models, Moonee and her friends are clearly growing up semi-feral, and think nothing of the consequences of their pranks, which eventually include burning down an unoccupied building with glee.
It's a small film, its topic hardly new ground for anyone who has seen enough serious dramas about the underclass, with two distinctions: the unlaboured juxtaposition of the hand-to-mouth life of the characters with the material excesses of tourist traps next to them and the casting, which is excellent, not least the almost frightening naturalness and confidence of the child lead.
6/10
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