When every day is a struggle, there’s no time for games.
Think about it. If you go to sleep not knowing whether your drug addict mother will come home; if you walk to school through multiple gang territories, your mind might be on other things.
A Most Beautiful Thing opens our eyes a bit wider to living like this. Through interviews, montages, and discussions, we hear about growing up in the dangerous west side of Chicago. Our stars are now a group of middle-aged friends, but their story starts years ago, when they were teenagers at odds and on high alert. Yes, they made a movie about it, but no, you can’t make this stuff up.
The sport which eventually brought them together, crew, drew their attention simply because of the free pizza at the high school info session. Hearing tidbits like this one will bring a smile to your face, and our stars speak often speak with one, reminiscing sometimes and actively thinking others.
But light this movie is not. Not only do the stars speak about crime and fear and violence, subject matter experts provide statistics to contextualize their lived experience.
Indeed, the movie walks a balance beam between poverty porn and fairy tale. In a positive but realistic manner, it shows how a group of people (who could be any of us) gained perspective and built healthy habits and relationships. It is sobering and uplifting at the same time.
Parts of the movie can feel like filler. Listening to stories, we see montages of “the streets” instead of looking into the eyes of our stars. But the emotional connection—and the statistics of pain—draw us back in every time.
So who need sports? Well, what if in blissful silence you found yourself gliding over water? What if after hearing sirens all your life, you now hear calm as YOUR tools slide into a cool blue mirror; now silence as you listen to YOUR heart still beating, still alive, still capable, now powerful, with your thoughts and with your family?