Captured by the Los Angeles-based filmmakers Liv Layhee and Caydon LiRocchi during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Beautiful! (2020) follows the young couple as they face a potential unplanned pregnancy. Shot on VHS, the grainy home video aesthetic adds an intimate layer to the proceedings as the two take turns filming while they await life-altering news. The resulting short is distinctive in style and endearing in its honesty, capturing the drama that inherently accompanies such a pivotal moment, as well as the mix of humour, creativity and numerous cats that makes their relationship idiosyncratic.
On a whirlwind morning, a couple learns if they’re facing an unplanned pregnancy
Directors: Liv Layhee, Caydon LiRocchi
29 May 2023
videoFilm and visual culture
Shoddy filmmaking meets the miracle of life in a police training film turned cult classic
11 minutes
videoBiography and memoir
As her world unravels, Pilar wonders at the ‘sacred geometry’ that gives it structure
20 minutes
videoHome
A street-level view of homelessness from a woman living through it
11 minutes
videoBiography and memoir
A young autistic man’s heartfelt letter to the beloved mother he lost
12 minutes
videoWellbeing
‘Lean into loneliness like it is holding you’ – a poetic reflection on life in lockdown
5 minutes
videoTechnology and the self
The story of a breakup, an unplanned pregnancy and a childhood – told in 100 texts
11 minutes
videoIllness and disease
‘This is what cancer looks like’: facing illness with humour, honesty and an iPhone
30 minutes
videoLove and friendship
There’s nothing like falling for a plastic surgeon to help you embrace your body as it is
13 minutes
videoWellbeing
Born in China, Zee seeks a gender-affirming life in the American Midwest
11 minutes