Set in Kissimmee, Florida at the Magic Castle Inn motel, the film revolves around a six-year old girl who spends much of her time playing with other kids including a new kid at another nearby motel as she deals with her young mother trying to make ends meet while they’re watched by a tough yet fair motel manager who does care about the young girl. It is a film with a simple premise as it’s more about the many adventures a six-year old girl and her friends take part as they scrounge up whatever money they can get while living in this motel near Walt Disney World. The film’s screenplay by Sean Baker and Chris Bergoch is largely straightforward in its narrative but has a looseness in its structure as it follows the exploits of Moonee (Brooklynn Prince) as she plays with her friends as they do all sorts of things and beg for money to buy an ice cream cone while she lives in a motel with her young mother Halley (Bria Vinaite) who works as an exotic dancer until she loses her job.
While she does get free food from a friend in Ashley (Mela Murder) whose son Scooty (Christopher Rivera) is a friend of Moonee, Halley would also sell perfume outside other motel/hotels nearby to pay the rent. Still, she is hoping to go out and party yet things become problematic as well as the fact that she and Ashley fall out over an incident involving Moonee and Scooty at an abandoned condominium area with their new friend Jancey (Valeria Cotto). It would lead to some trouble though Halley doesn’t make things better in how she would get rent money as the motel manager Bobby (Willem Dafoe) has been keeping an eye on things as well as watch over the children. While Bobby is a character that is tough on the rules and can tolerate the children in their mischievous antics. He does care about them as well as Moonee knowing that this girl can fend for herself despite her mother’s immaturity as he would also fend off a pedophile trying to chat up with the kids.
Baker’s direction doesn’t just feel loose in its presentation but it also has this colorful feel to it as it is shot on location in Kissimmee with the U.S. Highway 192 route being the main part of the film as it is a major character in the film as is the Magic Castle Inn. Baker’s usage of the wide shots are definitely striking as he definitely captures the scope of the building as well as the many different areas in the town as it showcases the world that Moonee and her friends live in. There’s a vibrancy to the visuals as it does play into a world that is magical in some ways yet there is also a realism into the fact that it is nearby one of the most famous attractions in the world in Walt Disney World where these real-life places add to this air of Americana that is unique. Baker’s usage of the medium shots and close-ups play more into the life at the Magic Castle motel including the room that Moonee and Halley stay in as it play into the world that these characters live in.
Also serving as the film’s editor, Baker maintains that air of looseness in the editing as it play into the sense of energy in the film where Baker uses jump-cuts to capture some of the energy in the kids running around the motel parking lots and such. Even where Baker would use hand-held cameras to bring up that air of realism as he also employ a lot of non-actors in the film. It gives the film that grounded presentation where Baker also shoots the film in 35mm for much of the film with the exception of the ending as it was shot on an iPhone 6S Plus. Still, Baker does maintain that sense of vibrancy in the visuals though it becomes more realistic during its third act as it does play into Halley’s activities in her room and the trouble she brings despite her intentions to raise Moonee though it would come with many complications. Overall, Baker crafts an exquisite yet entrancing film about the life of a six-year old girl and her young mother living and creating chaos at a motel in Kissimmee, Florida.
Cinematographer Alexis Zabe does phenomenal work with the film’s cinematography as its emphasis on capturing the vibrancy of the locations with all of its colors has something that does feel like a fantasy though it set in real locations while many of the scenes at night are low-key in its lighting as it is a highlight of the film. Production designer Stephonik Youth and set decorator Kurt Thoreson do excellent work with the look of the motel room that Moonee and Halley live in as well as the motel lobby and a few places the characters go to. Costume designer Fernando Rodriguez does fantastic work with the costumes as it is play into the look of the film with all of its colors and neon-like look in some of the things the characters wear.
Special effects supervisor James. L. Roberts and visual effects supervisor Philippe Desiront do terrific work in some of the film’s minimal set pieces that include the scene of the kids burning a pillow at a condo that goes wrong. Sound editor Jesse Pomeroy and sound mixer Mark Weber do amazing work with the sound as it help play into the real atmosphere of the locations as well as the way music sounds from another room. The film’s music by Lorna Balfe is wonderful as it is largely low-key as it appears mainly in the film’s ending as this soaring orchestral piece that play into the drama while music supervisor Matthew Hearon-Smith cultivates a fun soundtrack that ranges from hip-hop, pop, R&B, Latin music, and such from acts such as Kool & the Gang, Nao, Vee tha Rula, Bobby Harden, Frank Fuchs, Bronze, Rich White, Hatuey, Ghosmerick, Skeey, Men Envy Children, Doug Walker, Renz Young, Coca Vango, Ryan Oakes, Mikey Amare, Noah North, Jennie Dapello, the Zinghoppers, Prez P and Big Nic, STS, Friends of the Friendless, Creig Camacho, Holfix, and George Pollis as a lot of is played on location.
The casting by Carmen Cuba is incredible as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Macon Blair as a tourist who claims Halley stole some wrist bands, Sandy Kane as an elderly lady who likes to be topless at the pool area, Aiden Malik as a friend of Moonee and Scooty in Dicky, Edward “Punky” Pagan as Dicky’s father, Josie Olivo as Jancey’s grandmother, Andrew Romano and Carolina Grabova as a Brazilian newlywed couple on their honeymoon, Terry Allen Jones as a cab driver in Patrice, and Caleb Landry Jones in a small role as Bobby’s son Jack who shows up when his father asks for help at the motel. Valeria Cotto and Christopher Rivera are amazing in their respective roles as Jancey and Scooty with the former being a new arrival at a nearby motel who joins in the fun and see the locations while the latter is a kid who likes to find things including a lighter that would ultimately raise suspicion from his mother. Mela Murder is excellent as Scooty’s mom Ashley who works at a diner as she helps bring in free food to Halley and Moonee until an incident forces her to be a mother and keep Moonee away from Scooty.
Willem Dafoe is phenomenal as Bobby Hicks as a manager for the Magic Castle motel who watches over everything as there’s moments where he’s stern and has to not take any bullshit from anyone but there is also a sensitivity in the way he acts towards the kids including Moonee as he becomes concerned for her well-being due to the activities her mother is doing in the film’s third act. Bria Vinaite is brilliant as Halley as a young woman who loses her job as an exotic dancer as she does what she can to pay her rent and be a good mom although she doesn’t make the best decisions and acts immature at times which adds to the realism of her performance. Finally, there’s Brooklynn Prince in a sensational performance as Moonee as a six-year old girl who likes to play around and do fun things despite the chaos she brings that naturalistic energy and innocence to her character as well as a sense of heartbreak into the situations she has to endure as it is a true breakthrough performance.
The Florida Project is a tremendous film from Sean Baker that features great performances from Brooklynn Prince, Bria Vinaite, and Willem Dafoe. Along with its ensemble cast, rapturous visuals, a vibrant and realistic setting, study on poverty near a world that is meant to be magical, and its bumping music soundtrack. It is a film that explores life seen from a young girl’s perspective as she tries to have fun during the summertime while dealing with the reality of her environment. In the end, The Florida Project is a spectacular film from Sean Baker.
Sean Baker Films: (Four Letter Words) – Take Out (2004 film) – (Prince of Broadway) – Starlet (2012 film) – Tangerine (2015 film) – Red Rocket - Anora
© thevoid99 2022
Written and directed by Jeremy Saulnier, Green Room is the story of a hardcore punk band who find themselves playing a gig at a place that is the base for a group of neo-Nazi skinheads who go after them after the band had witnessed a murder. The film is an unconventional thriller where a group of people try to escape and fight against a hate group who want them dead. Starring Patrick Stewart, Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, Alia Shawkat, Callum Turner, and Joe Cole. Green Room is a gripping yet intense film from Jeremy Saulnier.
The film revolves around a hardcore punk band who take a gig at neo-Nazi club unaware of what it is only to witness a murder as all hell breaks loose forcing them to try and survive this group of neo-Nazi skinheads. It’s a film that takes a simple premise but with an air of intrigue and terror as much of the story is set in a room where a hardcore punk band, a young woman, and a bouncer they’ve held hostage is in the room along with a dead body while its owner and his band of hooligans try to break in. Jeremy Saulnier’s screenplay follows this hardcore punk band in the Ain’t Rights as they are traveling through the Pacific Northwest on tour as stopped to do a radio interview and a gig which was unfortunately cancelled because of screw-ups by promoters forcing a local radio host to call his cousin who works at a club outside Portland to get the band a gig.
Although the band realize the audience is a neo-Nazi group, they still play and find a way to piss them off unaware of what is happening behind the scenes at the green room where the headlining band is at. Slaunier’s script doesn’t just play into what happened but also what the club owner Darcy Banker (Patrick Stewart) is hiding as he’s a dangerous yet calm man that is trying to handle the situation without any real trouble. Still, he has a group of people that will take care of things if needed to as they have weapons and attack dogs with the people in the green room having little to fight back with.
Saulnier’s direction is definitely mesmerizing for the way he creates the air of tension and terror that looms throughout the film where much of its second and third act is set inside the green room. Shot on location in Portland, Oregon with additional locations in Astoria as well as scenes shot at the Mount Hood National Forest. Saulnier’s direction doesn’t go for a lot of wide shots except in getting a look at the locations yet much of his direction is intimate in its usage of close-ups and medium shots in playing to the atmosphere of the club as well as the tension that goes on inside the green room. Especially as it has this air of claustrophobia where you have the band, the friend of the dead young woman, and a bouncer who had a gun only to be overpowered by the band while outside of the green room is Darcy and his gang. Even as the band try to get out of the green room through other means of searching the room as well as discover something underneath the green room that is even more disturbing as it relates to the area the club is set in. The scenes outside the club where Darcy and his followers are trying to get things ready as well as make a discovery about one of their own add to the intrigue.
Saulnier’s direction also has this eerie element of violence in the way it’s presented as the dead body is seen with a knife on her head but no blood until the knife is pulled out. The violence would intensify during a standoff between Darcy and one of the band members in Pat (Anton Yelchin) who agreed to exchange a handgun for a cell phone only to realize that it was a set-up leaving Pat’s arm to be cut badly. Things would get more violent as the film progresses that would eventually lead to a showdown where it is about a battle of wits and will despite the lack of resources and experience the band and Amber (Imogen Poots) have in a fight or in a battle. Even as it’s all about the impact and sense of will but also the need to survive no matter how much the odds are against this small group of punks. Overall, Saulnier crafts a riveting yet haunting film about a hardcore punk rock band stuck inside a room at a venue for neo-Nazi skinhead punks.
Cinematographer Sean Porter does excellent work with the film’s cinematography as it’s low-key in its approach to lighting for many of the interiors in day and night as well as the exterior scenes set at night. Editor Julia Bloch does fantastic work with the editing as its usage of rhythmic cuts play into the suspense and terror without the need to delve into fast-paced cutting by emphasizing on momentum in the suspense. Production designer Ryan Warren Smith, with set decorator Jenelle Giordano and art director Benjamin Hayden, does brilliant work with the look of the club the band plays as well as the green room which is a room to relax until it becomes a safe haven for the band away from the Nazis. Costume designer Amanda Needham does nice work with the costumes from the ragged look of the band as well as the look of the Nazis with their boots and red laces for the group of extremists.
Prosthetic makeup designer Michael Marino does amazing work with the look of gore and some of the violent moments that happen in the film. Visual effects supervisor Chris Connolly does terrific work with some of the film’s minimal visual effects as it mainly serves as set dressing for some of the violence as well as a few moments in the exterior scenes. Sound designer Roland Vajs does superb work with the sound in capturing the sound of live music heard at the venue or at another room as well as the way feedback is used as a weapon in the film. The film’s music by Brooke and Will Blair is wonderful for its haunting usage of strings and keyboards to create an ominous music score that help play into the suspense and drama while music supervisor Lauren Mikus provides a killer soundtrack filled with a lot of punk rock music from acts like Bad Brains, Fear, Corpus Rottus, Kingsley Fowley, Spectre Folk, Poison Idea, Hochstedder, Patsy Rats, Midnight, Syphilitic Lust, Missionary Position, Obituary, and Harassor along with non-punk music from Napalm Death, Slayer, and Creedence Clearwater Revival.
The casting by Avy Kaufman is great as it feature some notable small roles from Taylor Tunes as the young woman who would be killed early in the film, David W. Thompson as a punk rock radio host who would get the band a new gig, Kai Lennox as skinhead attack dog trainer Clark, Eric Edelstein as the skinhead bouncer Big Justin, Brent Werzner as a neo-Nazi skinhead musician in Werm, Macon Blair as a skinhead who works at the club who is trying to smooth things out, and Mark Webber as the radio host’s cousin Daniel who is a skinhead that is unaware of what is going on at the green room. Callum Turner and Joe Cole are superb in their respective roles as the singer Tiger and drummer Reece as two musicians trying to deal with the Nazis with former discovering what is underneath the green room while the latter is trying keep Big Justin at bay with some mixed-martial arts moves.
Alia Shawkat is fantastic as guitarist Sam as a musician who is trying to maintain some calm but is also willing to fight back as is kind of the unsung leader of the band. Imogen Poots is excellent as Amber as a friend of the woman who is killed as she is trying to deal with what happened as well was wanting to revenge for her friend while knowing about the environment that everyone is at. Anton Yelchin is brilliant as the band bassist Pat as a young man who is trying to survive as he deals with being assaulted and the chaos around him as he also delivers this great monologue about an experience he had that becomes a rallying pep talk of sorts. Finally, there’s Patrick Stewart in an incredible performance as Darcy Banker as the leader of the neo-Nazis and club owner who is this calm yet dangerous individual that is trying to outsmart the band while knowing what needs to be done as it’s one of his finest performances of his career.
Green Room is a spectacular film from Jeremy Saulnier. Thanks to its ensemble cast, eerie setting, haunting visuals, intense music, and gripping atmosphere. It’s a film that takes a simple setting and situation while amplifying the sense of fear and tension while getting a look from the perspective of two different forces trying to outdo one another. In the end, Green Room is a tremendous film from Jeremy Saulnier.
Jeremy Saulnier Films: (Murder Party) – (Blue Ruin) – (Hold the Dark)
© thevoid99 2018
