The West Side of Chicago in the 70s is not a good place to grow up. It is the kind of place where nobody asks what college you're going to, but what gang will you join. And the most dangerous high school in Chicago is Manley, a most unlikely spot to create the first African American rowing team. A Most Beautiful Thing tells the story of that first team, built of rival gang members, and their twentieth reunion, when they also invite members of the Chicago police force to build a competing team. This film has all the elements of a good documentary — from the technical to the visual to the vulnerable. Director Mary Mazzio is truly familiar with the sport, is a gifted storyteller and has a deep and intuitive sense of suspense and payoff. There are some great cuts here, from the opening transition with the red starter flag to the West Side ghetto, to the use of swooping drone shots in the city and over the water. Get out on the water. See this beautiful thing.