Press Coverage

• "Decidedly not a Lifetime movie... Ms. Smith does not fit easily into any box, and neither does this thought-provoking film." NYT Critics' Pick.
  
• “One of the year’s most touching documentary films… A provocative and joyous coming of age portrait… [Michelle] bursts off the screen as someone immensely relatable. You’ll want to know her.”
  “This is a powerful, affecting journey into a young woman’s mind as she searches for connection and empowerment by exploring life outside the limits of ‘normal’ through a ‘fringe community.’”
  
• "Best and Most Beautiful Things nails the idea that "normal" is very overrated."
  
  "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… 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."
  
• "A complete and compassionate portrait of the kind of person society too often ignores. It takes only a few minutes with Michelle to grasp her depth. She’s eloquent and thoughtful, with a quirky sense of humor... the film’s overall effect lets the person — not the condition — be the real story, one that’s worth sharing."
  
• “Best and Most Beautiful Things will connect with audiences on an emotional level — with anyone who has struggled to find others they can relate to. In a city where the motto encourages individuality and weirdness, SXSW was an ideal festival to premiere such a poignant film… But it is [Michelle’s] indomitable spirit, her confidence, her zest for self-discovery that will make audiences root for her success.”
  
• “The story of a young blind woman attempting to achieve her dreams could risk mawkishness, but “Best and Most Beautiful Things” mercifully avoids condescending to its subject… Studios would be wise to adapt this non-fiction material for the YA crowd that flocked to “The Fault in Our Stars” last year. Whereas that story revolved around a young woman making the most of her limited time, “Best and Most Beautiful Things” focuses on the discovery of boundless opportunities in a society designed to suggest otherwise for those facing Smith’s plight.”
  
• “Director Garrett Zevgetis gives us a similarly uncensored version of Smith: bright, determined, legally blind, somewhere on the autism spectrum, bruised by her parents’ divorce, dreaming of becoming a Hollywood voice actor. She’s a terrific subject, and Zevgetis has crafted a film that is, much like Michelle herself, a lot more complex than it might initially seem.”
  
• “[Best and Most Beautiful Things] had one of those elements every documentary filmmaker falls asleep wishing for: a luminous subject with an incredible story. Absolutely seek this film out… There’s a wonderful and exciting twist to this magical journey that will, I swear, improve your life if you happen upon it organically.”
  
• “The film gently captures the complex and intimate successes and failures that are unique and yet universal to anyone who has tried to find themselves.”
  
• "There are several beautiful instances where the camera goes out of focus, everything blurs and for a brief moment, Michelle's vulnerabilities and anxieties are given their glorious closeup... audiences will find themselves cemented to Michelle's side, rooting for her success."
  
• "The term 'disability' suggests a fraught relationship between the person it describes and the objects and institutions through which he or she must navigate… Is there a way to think of this as something other than loss, diminishment, a newly small world? Garrett Zevgetis’s new documentary, 'Best and Most Beautiful Things,' tackles this question with sensitivity and verve."
  
• "This film about a blind woman exploring her kinks is uplifting—and everything we need right now... Succeeds with flying colors."