High school years are a notoriously difficult period of adolescence. Teenagers are desperately trying to figure out who and what they would like to be in an environment that is constantly challenging them. Many kids experience an almost constant anxiety or fear of being judged or disliked by their peers, and this results in a lack of confidence and feelings of not being desirable or good enough. If teen dramas and teen romances are any indication of the ultimate struggle in high school, it goes without saying that the most relatable of all high school problems is that of falling in love. For many people, high school marks the first point in time when romantic relationships really enter into the forefront of your thoughts with the possibility of actually manifesting. The short film below, The Most Beautiful Thing is a coming-of-age love story between two teenagers who, for different reasons, feel like they are on the outside and don’t really fit in.
The Most Beautiful Thing was written and directed by Cameron Covell, who was in high school at the time the film was made. This helps give the film a genuine and authentic feel; Covell uses subtle imagery to relay the powerful feeling of isolation that the main character Brandon feels on a day-to-day basis. When he stumbles upon two kids kissing against a row of lockers, it’s almost impossible not to feel his painful awkwardness. Every time he looks at a bright pink flyer for prom, his disappointment is written across his face as if to say “prom is not for people like me.” It’s these little moments that are perfectly representative of the high school struggle that can only be known intimately by high schoolers themselves; the rest of us (at least most of us) have tried desperately to forget these little blunders and events. Needless to say, Covell was the perfect director to bring this perfectly poignant love story to light.
At the conclusion of the film, Covell includes a simple, yet powerful line of text, “The best and most beautiful things in life cannot be seen, heard, or even touched, they must be felt with the heart.” The Most Beautiful Thing wonderfully reminds us that even the most prominent problems in our lives seem to fade in the shadow of love. Even the proverbial tormented high school misfit can begin to see the beauty in life again after falling in love.
What do you think of The Most Wonderful Thing? Do you agree that the most beautiful things in life can only be felt with the heart? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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