When the team competed, they showed great potential, almost winning two of their three races, but inexperience and lousy luck stood in the way. When the experiment failed—yes, a slight spoiler—what would happen to the young teens is nothing short of amazing.
I’m so over this mess we’ve created in D.C. and many other cities across America, where we sit and wait for the cavalry to come. It’s not coming, and stories like A Most Beautiful Thing are essential because it empowers those in the trenches to make a change on their own. Literally, every person featured in this documentary risked their lives and reputations… all for a rowing team. They were brutally bullied as a team and were all marked men for leaving their respective gangs.
“…empowers those in the trenches to make a change on their own.”
In 2019, now adults, the team reunited and trained once again for the Chicago Sprints. Unexpectedly, the team reached out to the Chicago P.D. to join them in the competition as a show of unity and building bridges.
The documentary’s look is top-notch, with many heavy hitters behind the telling of this important story, including singer/producer Common. The team itself may have only changed a handful of lives, but that small handful went on to touch more lives over the years because of the people they become.
Why is A Most Beautiful Thing must-see viewing? Because it is a message of hope when hope is needed most. For those of us, who don’t live in the more dangerous cities in America, it’s easy to sit back and write off the problem for politicians to solve. But we are all in this crazy thing called life together. It’s time to step out and make real change.
"…it is a message of hope when hope is needed most."
