trayed, along with the mother-daughter duo going to a nicer hotel to steal a free breakfast as if they had a room there. The mother, who cannot get financial assistance from the government for unknown reasons, is left desperate. As a result, she can be seen selling fake wrist- bands to Disney World, selling wholesale perfume on the streets, and even prostituting herself, all while Monee was nearby. “The film calls viewers to be more understanding, even forgiving, of the ‘choices’ made by the desperate” (Loera-Brust). Despite these hard times, resilience is shown through the daughter in a beautiful way as Monee still looks up to her mother and goes on wild adventures. Towards the end of the movie, the plot depicts a saddening scene that too many children face today in reality. Bobby, the motel manager noticed the soliciting acts the mother was participating in and called Child Protec- tive Services. The CPS associates show up one day unannounced to do a
welfare check, but did not take Monee away. Hayley can be seen cleaning the room after their departure, which commonly happens in real life, in fear they will probably come back. A couple days later, they show up with orders to take Monee to foster care. While the women are ques- tioning Monee, she gets more and more upset. Once she realizes she will be taken away from her mother, she fights them until she breaks away. With tears running down her face, barely able to formulate words, she finally makes it to the “happiest place in the world” (Disney World) miles away from their motel.
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