BEST AND MOST BEAUTIFUL THINGS is about a young woman named Michelle Smith. She is a charming young lady in her twenties who is looking to get on with her life and go out into the world on her own. The problem is that Ms Smith has Asperger’s Syndrome and is legally blind.
My initial feeling about the film was that this film is a bit too much like a good number of recent films I’ve seen over the last few years such as LIFE ANIMATED, AUTISM IN LOVE and many more. I couldn’t really understand why the film was getting a release and then it hit me that Ms Smith is absolutely a wonderful person and given the chance I’d love to meet her. She deserves success in everything she chooses to do, I just wish this film had more to it to make it as special as its subject.
On the other hand unless you are a film writer or someone who sees everything odds are you will not have seen all the other similar films to this so BEST AND MOST BEAUTIFUL THINGS will play fresh and new and will be a wonderful portrait of a great young woman. If you haven't seen either of the aforementioned films or any of the other similar films go see this film, because on it's own terms it's quite good.
Unfortunately because I did not see the film outside of a vacuum the film presents me with a problem in that I’m not sure why the film was really made. This has nothing to do with the quality of the film, which is good, or it’s subject, who is charming. Rather watching the film I got to a certain point where I suddenly had the feeling that the film was made not to highlight Ms Smith as such but because she could be used to sell a film to various demographics.
Producer Kevin Bright and Ms Smith met in class the director was teaching and I have this feeling that somewhere along the way the idea of making a film about a sex positive geek girl with Asperger’s was too good to pass up. I think that on some level neither he nor director Garrett Zevgetis didn’t strive to do more than just let Ms Smith carry the film and let her interests find the audience. They never came up with a hook beyond she's a charming blind woman ect ect to give us a reason to watch a 90 minute film.
Whats the hook? I don't know. As a short film I would have been fine but at 90 minutes it doesn't quite work, it goes on for too long not seeming to go anywhere or build to anything. The result is the film is kind of bland. The reason I’m bothered by the blandness is because there is something about Ms Smith and her desire to be seen as a positive role model. She is an extraordinary person and she deserves a film to match her.
Again this is not to say its a bad film, it isn't, it's a good film but it should have been a great one.
BEST AND MOST BEAUTIFUL THINGS opens Friday in theaters.
No comments:
Post a Comment