The Most Beautiful Thing: Short Film Review

The Most Beautiful Thing Short Film: Review Introduction

One of the most wonderful feelings in the world is to love and to be loved back. However, the fear of rejection often drives many people to loneliness and isolation. The Most Beautiful Thing is a 2012 film written and directed by Cameron Covell starring Nick Lopez (Brandon) and Analisa Gutierrez (Emily). The 10 minute-film tells a short love story about high school students. The Most Beautiful Thing is worth viewing because it brings to life the important themes of love, disability, and communication due to the effective use of film direction, good acting, and appealing literary techniques such as symbolism and character development.

Summary

The film occurs in a school setting and covers the subjects of loneliness and social life in high school. The movie raises the issue of social segregation. Therefore, the main purpose of the film is to encourage people to interact with each other. Brandon spends all his time alone because he has no friends and nobody wants to associate with him (Covell, 2012). Brandon meets Emily and tries talking to her only to realize that Emily is hard of hearing.

However, Emily is excited to meet Brandon. The two acquaintances start communicating through pen and paper notes. Brandon learns sign language to communicate effectively with Emily. Unfortunately, he sees Emily with another boy. Brandon is disappointed in Emily and starts ignoring her. Emily uses this opportunity to call Brandons name to explain her encounter with the other boy. Brandon is excited that Emily can talk, which compels him to use sign language to ask her to prom night. The film ends after the two friends have reconciled.

Major Themes

Love

The Most Beautiful Thing is founded on a love story between two people in unlikely circumstances. The audience first meets Brandon, who comes across as a lonely boy looking for love and companionship. Emily is also lonely due to her inability to speak, which prevents her from communicating with other people. The theme of love is developed by changes in Emily and Brandons moods during their interactions.

Finding love cheers Brandon and motivates him to work towards improving his communication with Emily by finding extra notebooks and learning sign language. In the end, Emilys fear of losing her friendship with Brandon forces her to speak out loudly. This film demonstrates that love can motivate individuals to do things that they thought were impossible to accomplish (Eibl-Eibesfeldt, 2017).

Disability

The theme of disability, which is a universal phenomenon, is portrayed in the movie. Emilys hearing disability causes her loneliness because she cannot communicate with other people. She informs Brandon that she cannot speak because people often laugh at her. This scenario indicates that society does not provide adequate support for people with disabilities. One of Emilys schoolmates tries to take advantage of her by kissing her forcefully. This scene highlights the vulnerability of people with disabilities to harassment. However, Emily manages to defend herself by hitting the boy and leaving the scene.

Communication

Communication helps people to convey their feelings and thoughts to others. Different forms of communication can be used to pass messages across, including oral communication, sign language, and written notes. It is also evident that communication barriers can breed misunderstandings and destroy relationships. For example, there is poor communication between Brandon and Emily following her encounter with the boy who tries to harass her. As a result, Brandon thinks that Emily is no longer interested in their friendship.

Film Evaluation for Quality

The screenplay is appropriate for the length of the film (Joalland, 2012). However, it appears as though there are significant cuts in the script, particularly in the development of Emilys character. The acting and direction of the film are done fairly well because there is a smooth transition from one scene to the next. The actors also exhibit their roles effectively. The film deals with a few scenes in a school setting yet manages to demonstrate a wide range of themes and emotions (Joalland, 2012).

The playwright makes exceptional use of the literary technique of character development to portray Brandons personality. Brandon is depicted as a sad, lonely boy. However, he is determined to make friends and does not stop trying despite being ignored severally. This determination attracts Emilys attention, which leads to the development of their friendship. The author advances Brandons character throughout the film.

His character changes from a sad boy to a happy person by the end of the movie. The literary skill of symbolism is evident in the skillful use of sound. The playwright uses sound to symbolize the moods in different acts. Non-diegetic background music at the opening is slow to indicate Brandons unhappiness. Nevertheless, the music later becomes cheery and fast-paced to signify exhilaration and happiness when Brandon meets Emily. However, the literary skill of foreshadowing is not demonstrated in the play.

Interest in the Film

A person would be interested in this film because it appeals to all movie enthusiasts. The movie portrays real-life issues using a simple approach. The author focuses on the two main characters, which leaves little room for distraction. The brevity of the film also makes it interesting. The only inadequacy is that there are no details showing Emilys character advancement except during her interactions with Brandon.

The Most Beautiful Thing Short Film: Review Conclusion

This short film is worth viewing because it conveys significant subjects in a fascinating way. The themes of love, disability, and communication are well represented in the broadcast. The playwrights use of sound and character development keeps the audience captivated throughout the movie. The only shortcoming of the film is vagueness in the development of Emilys character.