Best and Most Beautiful Things (2016)
The first half of this film was a very good film, following Michelle Smith as she graduates high school and tries to find some level of independence in her life, dealing with having Asperger's and being legally blind (she can read very large print very close to her face). It made me ponder a question like whether I was fortunate to not be diagnosed with Asperger's until later in life. Would an early diagnosis have provided me with an intervention that would have cut out a decade of learning curve, kept me from feeling a decade behind in accomplishing things in life. Or would it have made others set an expectation for me, and thus provide me with an excuse, to not be able to become independent? As she describes in the film, sometimes the world is very black and white...either you are entirely self-sufficient, or else you are seen as unable to do anything. And the unwillingness to provide a little help can make it a self-fulfilling prophecy...if employers are unwilling to make accommodations (they are legally required to, but there are gaps) it becomes impossible to for someone to provide for themselves. I'd say this applies a lot to how we craft or view our welfare state as well.
The second half of the film sealed its greatness as it gets into the sexuality. People with disabilities are frequently desexualized, seen as either being asexual beings or else as being somehow perpetual children, unable to consent. Michelle is very forthright with how she enters into not just sexuality, but the world of kink, and rather successfully. It makes me rather jealous that at her age she is already so aware of the depths of her sexuality, advanced even by the standards of a neurotypical person with 20/20 vision I reckon. And I can't help but think that he success is in part structured by her gender. Male sex drive, unimpeded by the consequences that can face women, is such that it can make it rather easier for women. The impression I get from Dan Savage's podcast is kink communities are often male-heavy, making women powerful in their relative rarity.
Of course, one of the most annoying moments was a great example of the stigma where disability and sexuality meet. Talking with her high school teacher about finding the BDSM community, he ponders if maybe her diagnosis of Asperger's at a young age is inaccurate because this doesn't match up with his idea of autism. At this I basically shouted "CINECAST! YOU!" at my screen. Ultimately, one thing that comes out of this multi-year process is Michelle finds a calling in speaking to these issues of visibility of kink and the sexual autonomy of those with disabilities. And based on the power of this doc, I'd say she's going to do extremely well at it. Unlike my previous doc, this is one where she feels in control of the narrative and thus it doesn't feel exploitative, even as it captures personal moments.
A-