SXSW Film Review: Best and Most Beautiful Things

Sometimes you find community in unexpected places

Named for a Helen Keller quote ("The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart."), this documentary follows a young woman whose indomitable spirit directs her life path far more than her differently-abled body.

Legally blind and diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, 20-year-old Michelle is struggling to gain the independence necessary to move out of her mom’s house. She's quirky and quick-witted, and her charm is infectious, despite feeling like an outcast whose exploration of the world is thwarted by circumstance. The filmmaking team does a wonderful job lending insight into the blurry shapes and abrasive sounds she encounters daily with their fascinating cinematography and an original score. And they humanize her disability through entertaining storytelling - her Hello Kitty and Thomas the Tank Engine obsession, the difficulty of family strife, and the delightful awkwardness of a new relationship. Even more though, it's the powerful scenes of conflict and the equally important relief from isolation that arrives when Michelle begins to find her own community in the world of fetish and kink that make this a great watch. (Humor certainly makes itself useful too: Imagine your parents finding a flogger or handcuffs in your room.) Touching on sexuality, self-realization, and a support system that encourages empowerment, Best and Most Beautiful Things nails the idea that “normal” is very overrated.


Best and Most Beautiful Things

Documentary Feature Competition, World Premiere
Tuesday, March 15, 11:30am, Rollins Theatre
Wednesday, March 16, 7:45pm, Stateside

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

Support the Chronicle  

READ MORE
SXSW Tackles AI in 2024 Speaker List
SXSW Tackles AI in 2024 Speaker List
Rosario Dawson, ChatGPT head appearing next year

Richard Whittaker, Aug. 29, 2023

Yes, You Should Move to Austin
Yes, You Should Move to Austin
But only if …

Maggie Q. Thompson, March 17, 2023

More by Jessi Cape
Four Trailblazing Tequilas Reinvigorating the Spirit’s Reputation
Four Trailblazing Tequilas Reinvigorating the Spirit’s Reputation
When it comes to the tequila renaissance, sip it, don’t shoot it

July 7, 2023

Where to Find Tequila Around Austin
Where to Find Tequila Around Austin
Our favorite orders at a dozen-plus bars and restaurants

July 7, 2023

KEYWORDS FOR THIS POST

SXSW 2016, SXSW Film 2016, SXSW, Best and Most Beautiful Things

MORE IN THE ARCHIVES
NEWSLETTERS
One click gets you all the newsletters listed below

Breaking news, arts coverage, and daily events

Keep up with happenings around town

Kevin Curtin's bimonthly cannabis musings

Austin's queerest news and events

Eric Goodman's Austin FC column, other soccer news

Information is power. Support the free press, so we can support Austin.   Support the Chronicle