The Florida Project, which was released in 2018, is a movie about the lives of poor people who live around Disney World in Florida. The movie title, The Florida Project, refers to the real estate purchasing plans of Disney who built an amusement park. After Disney World opened, cheap and fancy motels were built to attract family visitors. However, after the global financial crisis in 2008, lots of low-income groups came to these places to stay long term. In America, this is referred to as ‘The Florida Project.’ Therefore, this movie shows the story of how poor families and children live in a poor place. At the same time, they are very close to Disney World, which is a place of dreams and fantasies for kids. There are three main characters in the movie, the main character Moonee; Halley, who is Moonee’s mother; and Bobby, the manager of the Magic Castle Motel. Halley, who loves Moonee, is a low-income young single mother. They are staying at the Magic Castle Motel because she cannot afford to pay monthly rent. Unfortunately, she is very emotional and unable to make money, always curses, and even becomes a prostitute to pay rent. She is more like an immature sister, not a mother. Moonee is six years old, vigorous and cheerful but living in a poor place. Because her mother does not have a regular income, she hangs out with friends all day instead of going to school and usually eats fast food. Bobby is the manager of the Magic Castle Motel. He is responsible for collecting rent and the upkeep of the motel. He always tries to behave fairly, but he also tries to help Moonee and Halley. For example, there is a scene in which a suspicious man (who is assumed to be a pedophile) approaches Moonee and her friends. When Bobby sees him, he stops working immediately and drives him out of the motel. Bobby also pays Halley’s rent because he knows she is poor. However, at the end of the movie, Bobby cannot do anything when the Child Protection Agency and the police come to take Moonee away from her mom by force. He is a good man, but he is a normal person who cannot solve all problems. This movie portrays the problems of American society by showing the life of children who are living in the slum areas of Orlando, Florida. In fact, it is hard for people to live in such places because of the dirty and dangerous environments. Furthermore, in America, the gap between the rich and poor worsens poor people’s health. In slum areas, the rate of obesity is high because the only things that people can eat and drink are usually fast food and soda. Moonee and her friends have fast food or tinned food. They rarely eat fresh fruits or vegetables. Because of their parents’ income levels, many children’s health is at risk.

 While watching this movie, I had a lot of thoughts. Firstly, I thought about how I could help poor children who are struggling to survive. In my opinion, in the movie, Bobby represents the position of the audience. He is similar to the audience, who want to do something for children. But he also cannot afford to help and he is busy all day doing his work. In other words, individual good intention cannot solve their problems; social welfare systems are necessary. Secondly, I wondered what the roles of the country were. In the movie, Halley does not have the money for rent so she visits a welfare agency. Nevertheless, she is refused assistance. When she feels desperate, she commits crimes, stealing and becoming a prostitute. Finally, the police show up and take Moonee away from her. If Halley had a chance to get a job and receive financial assistance, she would not commit crimes. Though she is certainly poorly qualified as a mother, Halley truly loves her daughter, and Moonee wants to live with Halley. But the wall of reality is too high for them. Rather than separating children from parents, it would be much better for Moonee and Halley to receive financial support. The situation for Americans in poverty is somewhat similar to that of Koreans. The child actress Brooklyn Prince, who plays the role of Moonee, said of her feelings about receiving an award, “There are so many people like Moonee and Halley in this world, and we need to help them.” I hope that many children can dream and play freely without suffering from economic hardships.