Introduction
The movie “The Florida Project” is an American drama that addresses important societal issues. The movie was shot in 2017 by Sean Baker and written by Baker and Chris Bergoch. Unlike some films created solely to entertain viewers, this one conveys a specific message that becomes clear upon careful watching and analysis.
A story of a six-year-old girl living with a single, unemployed mother, “The Florida Project” outlines the hardships and challenges the family must overcome to survive. Moonee and her mother, Halley, are typical representatives of U.S. society, with problems and themes that are peculiar to millions of people living in similar conditions. For this reason, their story can be analyzed from various perspectives to gain a deeper understanding of the movie’s central message and ideas. Thus, by applying feminist, Marxist, and Freudian theories, “The Florida Project” can be viewed as evidence of the challenges a single mother faces, the demonstration of unfair distribution of costs and the class struggle, and the problems of balancing ego, id, and superego.
Feminist Perspective
“The Florida Project” cannot be considered a feminist film as it does not try to cultivate its ideas; however, it shows the inequalities and poverty single mothers face because of their status. Halley lives at Magic Castle Inn & Suites, a budget motel in Florida (The Florida Project). Which is more important: that she is a single mother who has to care for her daughter, Moonee? Halley is the sole breadwinner in the family, which means she should always work and care for her daughter. However, the movie shows how Halley loses her job as an exotic dancer, and her attempts to find a new one end with numerous failures.
In this way, the story introduces an essential theme of single women and poverty. At first glance, Halley appears to be an irresponsible, impoverished person who struggles to find and keep a good job. She is also not the best mother, as she does numerous inappropriate things in front of her daughter. However, Halley continues to fulfill her caretaker role, as all girls are socialized to do so. She earns money and searches for her child, despite the woman’s many failures. Her inability to be a caring mother may stem from the need to balance the dual roles of entering the workforce and being a caretaker at home (Hyde et al.).
As a result, she has little time for both activities and cannot be successful. At the same time, the movie highlights the inequalities in poverty that are linked to gender issues. The film highlights the trend that single, unmarried women with children are increasingly representing the current American family. This change is accompanied by a disparity in income and poverty status between mothers and fathers raising a child alone (Lu et al. 135).
Women suffer more from lower wages, the inability to secure well-paid jobs, and refusals from employers because of their status. The movie proves this idea as Halley is at the edge of poverty, and prostituting herself becomes the final stage of her decline. Although it may be linked to the main character’s personal issues and characteristics, the movie also shows that society offers few opportunities for single mothers to succeed and overcome financial hardships.
Marxist Perspective
From a Marxist perspective, “The Florida Project” highlights the disparity between social classes and the role of capitalism in creating poverty. It is evident in the opposition between the lavish Disney World, where millions are spent and earned daily, and the characters’ struggle for survival. Halley and Moonee live within walking distance of the place where thousands of people spend their money on amusement and non-essential items (The Florida Project). However, for mother and daughter, that world remains unattainable as they live in extreme poverty.
In this way, the movie illustrates that American society is divided, with two worlds existing in proximity to each other. At the same time, the U.S. is a high-income country, meaning that a significant share of its population enjoys high and stable incomes. Poverty in such communities can be considered an inevitable aspect of capitalism. The fact is that capitalism does not guarantee the right to employment (Gough and Eisenschitz 9). This means that individuals may lack access to income sources, which can impact their well-being.
Additionally, capitalist societies are characterized by the unequal distribution of wealth. The minority controls the majority of the means of production and enjoys income from their exploitation (Peet 564). The minority must be satisfied with the limited access to resources necessary for survival. Furthermore, in capitalist societies, this pattern is inherited and is linked to social class (Peet 565). It means that a representative of the working class is unlikely to move to another, more prestigious one.
The same idea is linked to the city’s social geography, as lower-income classes reside in impoverished areas and are unable to relocate (Peet 564). This is evident in “The Florida Project,” which portrays a capitalist society. Halley belongs to the lowest social class as she lives at the edge of poverty. At the same time, her daughter is also representative of the same group, with almost no chance of a happy life or a successful career. From a Marxist perspective, the movie highlights the gap in U.S. society that results from its capitalist nature.
Freudian Perspective
Halley’s failure to find her place in the world can be linked to the inability to balance the demands of reality, the id, and the superego, which results in the emergence of a dysfunctional personality. This is seen in her attempts to find work, prostitution, and inappropriate behaviors demonstrated in front of her daughter. Halley works hard; however, most of her jobs are temporary, and she cannot secure a long-term position (The Florida Project). At the same time, Halley has various desires impacting her behavior and choice of occupations. As a result, the failure to find the balance between these motivations has a pernicious impact on Halley.
From the Freudian perspective, Halley’s id impacts most of her decisions. Id is the instinctive part of the mind associated with sexual and aggressive desires. The superego is the construct responsible for moderating moral conscience and self-consciousness and for reflecting social standards (Freud 20-25). Finally, the ego is the realistic part of the conscience that should control and balance the desires of the id and superego (Freud 37). It tries to control both the id and the superego to avoid indulgence and demands for submission associated with the superego.
Thus, strengthening the ego is crucial for an adult, as it enables them to manage their feelings and emotions effectively. At the same time, harmonizing relations between all agencies is crucial as it is a feature of a healthy personality (Lunbeck et al.). Otherwise, numerous problems can be observed in various spheres.
Examining Halley reveals an imbalance among her id, ego, and superego. She cannot control the primitive desires that dominate her, even in front of her daughter. Halley smokes weed, has sexual intercourse with a man with Moonee sitting in the next room, and cannot find a good job. Her ego cannot control these desires, and the superego’s agency is focused on following and adhering to social standards. As a result, Halley might have good moments with her daughter; however, she fails to fulfill her role as a mother because of the imbalance in the agencies of her mind. This conflict becomes fatal for her and is the leading cause of her failure.
Conclusion
Altogether, “The Florida Project” explores numerous themes characteristic of American society. It depicts a single mother living in poverty with her daughter, trying to earn a living. At the same time, stepping away from the formalist analysis reveals new meanings in the film. Through Feminist, Marxist, and Freudian lenses, the movie portrays the challenges of a single mother, the inequitable distribution of costs, and the class struggle endemic to U.S. capitalism. Halley’s failure, according to the Freudian view, stems from her inability to manage her id and to build a stronger ego.
Works Cited
The Florida Project. Directed by Sean Baker, Cre Film, 2017.
Freud, Sigmund. The Ego and the Id. W.W. Norton & Company, 1990.
Gough, Jamie and Aram Eisenschitz. “Poverty in the High-Income Countries: a Marxist Alternative to Mainstream Ideologies,” Class, Race and Corporate Power, vol. 9, no. 2, 2021, pp. 1-32.
Hyde, Elizabeth et al. “Time poverty: Obstacle to women’s human rights, health, and sustainable development.” Journal of Global Health, vol. 10, no. 2, 2020, p. 020313.
Lu, Yuan-Chiao, et al. “Inequalities in Poverty and Income between Single Mothers and Fathers.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 17, no. 1, 2020, p. 135.
Lunbeck, Elizabeth et al. “Sigmund Freud’s The Ego and the Id.” JSTOR Daily, 2019.
Peet, Richard. “Inequality and Poverty: A Marxist-Geographic Theory.” Annals of the Association of American Geographers, vol, 65, no. 4, 1975, pp. 564-571.