In the Shadow of Fantasy:
childhood and carginality in the deconstruction of the American Dream in The Florida Project (2017), by Sean Baker
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33871/19805071.2025.33.2.10793Keywords:
contemporary cinema, social inequality, childhood, critique of the American Dream, Sean BakerAbstract
This article analyzes the film The Florida Project (2017), directed by Sean Baker, through the lens of a social critique of the "American Dream" and the promises of social mobility within contemporary capitalism. Through the character of Moonee and the setting in the outskirts of Disney World, the film exposes the contradictions between the ideal of prosperity promoted by the “American Dream” and the reality of exclusion experienced by those living on the margins. Drawing on authors such as David Harvey and Zygmunt Bauman, the study discusses how cinematic space functions as a metaphor for structural inequalities and how childhood is redefined as a site of resistance. The analysis shows that, by adopting a realist aesthetic and focusing on marginalized characters, Baker builds a narrative that challenges traditional representations of class, identity, and belonging in the United States.
Keywords: contemporary cinema; social inequality; childhood; critique of the American Dream; Sean Baker.
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