My secret vice is watching movies. For me, they offer two-hour escapes from reality which is key to maintaining my sanity. Last weekend, I saw the independent film TheFlorida Project from A24 (the studio responsible for last year’s Oscar-winning movie Moonlight) directed by Sean Baker.
The Florida Project, while deserving of all the buzz and critical acclaim, proved anything but an escape, but I’m glad I saw it. The all-too-real storyline paints a vivid picture of what we encounter every day at Children’s Home Society of Florida (CHS). More importantly, the film reminds us of both the resilience and fragility of families and what it means for children.
The story unfolds right here in Central Florida, where booming tourism is built on an army of low wage workers trying to survive in the unkind margins of America’s number one vacation playground.
Against a backdrop of cheap motels turned weekly-rate-low-income-housing, we meet parents balancing financial desperation with uniquely adult problems…and how their children can get caught in the crossfire.
While most of the story centers on three precocious children filling lazy summer days with misadventures, I couldn’t stop thinking about the parents – especially the young mother Halley, whose demeanor was clearly more child than parent.
Unsurprisingly, the children are sympathetic victims. The film powerfully depicts their innocence juxtaposed with their mischief. Less sympathetic are the parents. We just can’t help thinking they should know better, do better and make it right.
Why should parents who struggle with parenting be unsympathetic? There’s nothing simple about parenting, and the degree of difficulty rises exponentially when you are parenting without basic resources like food and shelter.
This is the real power of The Florida Project. It forces you to hold two contradictory realities in your head at the same time: the profoundly troubling actions we see from Halley and ferocious love she has for her child, for whom she will (and does) anything.
It can become too easy to judge a parent making such tragic mistakes – yet that judgment can be ill-conceived, especially when those decisions are driven by a parent’s desperation to provide just the basics.
When we see such determination in a parent, at CHS, we also see untapped potential. The Florida Project opens the door to start an important dialogue about the daunting challenges faced by Florida’s vulnerable families.
At CHS, we know the key to our success is the partnership we have with parents. It’s time to recognize that parents love their kids and that this love is our number one asset in making sure they stay safe.
If we want to change life trajectories for children, our lens should include a two-generation focus: investing in both parents and children.
We see the potential parents have. We know the difference family makes in the life of any child. When we bring this focus – building on every parent’s capacity for love—that’s when we see change.
This isn’t easy work, but that’s why CHS is here.
The Florida Project may not be your typical escape to the movies, but it will give you a glimpse into something too easy to forget. Parenting is tough, and it’s even tougher with two hands tied behind your back.
