Science and medical documentaries exist to offer hope when hope is not available. I’ve often heard, “I didn’t know what to do until I saw this documentary.” Dagan W. Beckett’s documentary Beautiful Faces brings hope to parents of children who suffer from extreme and not-so-extreme facial disfigurements.
Beautiful Faces follows the career of famed surgeon Larry Sargent. He has dedicated his career to treating children with facial deformities at a children’s hospital in Tennesee.
Director Dagan W. Beckett shines a light on three of Dr. Larry Sargent’s remarkable patients. One of them, Beth Wilson, battles Pfeiffer syndrome, a rare genetic disorder causing premature fusion of certain skull bones. Beth’s journey involves numerous intricate craniofacial surgeries under Dr. Sargent’s expert care. Beth is the primary patient for the film as we both follow and witness Beth’s next major surgery. Her surgery will be the most challenging of the film’s three subjects.
Greer Cofield’s story is both heart-wrenching and inspiring. During a horseback riding lesson near her home in Cartersville, GA, she and her mother, Shannon, ventured into the pasture to find Greer’s favorite horse. In a tragic twist, another horse charged, causing her horse to react by kicking her in the face. This resulted in a traumatic head injury, leading to an emergency airlift to Erlanger Medical Center, where they met the skilled Dr. Larry Sargent. Greer endured multiple orbital fractures that affected her eye, ear, skull, and more. It’s Greer’s story that we understand much of the science behind severe trauma in children.
Josh Bennett’s journey is purely inspiring. Born with a cleft lip and palate, he faced significant obstacles from the start. This birth defect, which occurs when a baby’s lip or mouth doesn’t form properly during pregnancy, was tackled head-on by Dr. Larry Sargent. From a young age, Josh was under Dr. Sargent’s expert care, undergoing surgeries to repair his lip and palate. These procedures not only helped mitigate the impact of his condition but also set the stage for his bright future as an aspiring stage singer and actor.
“Hope and miracles are on the plate in Beautiful Faces.”
Compared to HBO documentaries, Beautiful Faces is fairly no-frills. Half of the film features talking-head interviews with the film’s subjects, and the other half features surgeries…a lot of surgeries. I had to avert my eyes many times, but that’s me. Your mileage may vary as to how much surgery you can handle. There are warnings that it gets graphic, and it does.
The reality is that story matters more than production values. Though this low-budget indie is low-budget, it is Beth, Greer, and Josh’s stories that matter. Hope and miracles are on the plate in Beautiful Faces. Though we’re seeing Greer and Josh’s story from the rearview mirror, we’re right through with Beth’s story as she goes through her most intense reconstruction surgery as it happens. The results from the start are uncertain.
What’s most fascinating are the interviews with Beth’s mother. She gets real. At one point, she says something hard to hear, but we need to hear it. You can only bottle up your emotions so much, and these feelings must be spoken, no matter what those feelings are. It’s all about empathy and telling parents in similar situations that you’re not alone.
Beautiful Faces stands out for its heartfelt storytelling and real-life impact. Though the production may be low-budget, the compelling journeys of Beth, Greer, and Josh shine through, offering hope and inspiration. The film shows that resilience and compassion can lead to remarkable transformations in the face of daunting medical challenges.
"…resilience and compassion can lead to remarkable transformations..."
