The Florida Project is a slice of life movie that explores the struggles of childhoods marred by abject poverty. So if you’re looking for movies like The Florida Project that give you an ever so gentle reminder of life outside our own bubbles, you’re in for a treat.
Sean Baker’s masterful direction brings the nuanced exploration of the harsh reality of everyday people that is raw and authentic. So without further wait, here are some incredible movies like The Florida Project!
Top 10 Insightful Movies Like The Florida Project
1. American Honey (2016)
A teenage girl runs away from a life of poverty with a traveling crew as the gang revels and parties through the American Midwest and comes across life in various shades.
Andrea Arnold’s American Honey is a dreamy yet wild take on people coming from all corners of life trying to see through the struggles, one day at a time. Sasha Lane and Shia Labeouf shine in this intimate coming of age drama.
If you are impressed by the touching portrayal of teenagers exploring their way through poverty, American Honey will give you the same dose of intimacy and a slice of life vibe.
2. Tangerine (2015)
Tangerine provides a personal look at the lives of two transgender sex workers as it follows their journey on the street.
Sean Baker’s indie movie Tangerine is shot entirely on an iPhone giving us a close-up on life at the fringes that is anarchic, uncertain, and downright wild.
So if you’re looking for movies like The Florida Project that bring out the pain and agony of people in an emphatic way, then Sean Baker’s Tangerine should give you a lot of food for thought.
3. Moonlight (2016)
Moonlight explores the journey of a boy in three different stages of his life and how he cloaks his true self when challenges occur throughout his life in the drug-infested alleys of Miami.
Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight is an Oscar-winning exploration of desire, pain, guilt, and man’s inevitable burial of the self to ‘fit’ in the world by using violence as a coping mechanism.
Just like The Florida Project, Moonlight starts a dialogue regarding our perception of a normal life by casting an empathetic light on people in everyday society.
4. Short Term 12 (2013)
A band of counselors at a foster-care unit for at-risk teens go through the increasingly chaotic situations involving the mentally troubled kids while they battle their own demons.
Short Term 12 is a marvelously warm depiction of mental health and trauma that is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton. So if you’re looking for slice of life movies like The Florida Project, Short Terms 12 is an obvious watch.
5. Capernaum (2018)
A 12-year-old Lebanese boy goes through everything a young buy shouldn’t endure, including child labor, hunger, and homelessness as he tries to find a way out of this painful existence.
Nadine Labaki’s unapologetic depiction of the ruins of Lebanon coupled with amazing performances makes this a truly eye-opening and underappreciated film.
6. Bicycle Thieves (1948)
A young boy and his desperate father scour through the city of Rome to find their stolen bicycle that is crucial to earn their livelihood in a post-war country.
Vittorio De Sica’s classic, just like The Florida Project, employ a simple yet powerful narrative to expose the crude realities of the struggles of normal people in extortionary circumstances.
So if you want to see more movies like The Florida Project which has spawned countless adaptations and inspiration to directors for decades, this movie can’t be missed!
7. Shoplifters (2018)
A family of idiosyncratic members barely manage to fight off poverty with petty theft and shoplifting when the arrival of a young girl threatens to expose the dysfunctionalities underneath.
Hirokazu Koreeda has a penchant for weaving simpler stories with great depth and Shoplifters is no exception. Backed by a host of powerful performances Shoplifters exposes growing inequality and the farcical nature of morality.
The Florida Project shows how people form intimate relationships to survive the days together. Shoplifters explores the same theme of human goodness in a vastly different setting.
8. Room (2015)
A mother and her child are held captive in a closed room for 7 years. The traumatic experience leads to alienation in the boy who can’t associate himself with normalcy anymore.
Lenny Abrahamson’s Room sets itself up in an unusual scenario but soon finds a warm and intimate narrative structure to drive home struggles of trauma and deprivation. Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay deliver the performances of a lifetime.
If you’re looking for movies like The Florida Project where human intimacies are used as a protective mechanism to the traumas of growing up, you will love Room.
9. Juno (2007)
When a quirky 16-year-old girl Juno accidentally gets pregnant, she decides to give the kid for adoption. As the months roll along, she finds new challenges involving the prospective parents and her changing feelings.
Directed by Jason Reitman, Juno is spearheaded by an incredible Ellen Page who tackles the vulnerabilities and uncertainties of teenage pregnancy with utmost empathy.
The Florida Project despite its all too warm narrative, never shies away from talking about the difficulties of teenage struggles, just like Juno.
10. Lady Bird (2017)
Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson goes through a rollercoaster of ups and downs on her way through senior high school and finally applying for college.
Greta Gerwig depicts a coming of age drama without using sobby melodrama as a populist attraction. Led by an excellent Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird is an honest portrayal of teenage angst, insecurities, and exploration of sexualities.
If you like The Florida Project for how brutally honest yet warm it is, you will like the deft handling of similar themes in Lady Bird.