Documentary Showing the Beauty of Genetic Conditions Will Make You Cry

Fashion photographer Rick Guidotti was working with places like Harper's Bazaar and Yves Saint Laurent when he met a young woman with albinism. Upon researching the condition, he found dehumanizing images of people in medical textbooks, black bars covering their faces. It was then that he decided to stop working within the industry's narrow definition of beauty and created a foundation called Positive Exposure, a nonprofit that transforms public perceptions of people living with genetic, physical, and behavioral differences.

Filmmaker Joanna Rudnick is taking Guidotti's mission one step further and has created a moving documentary called On Beauty. The film follows the photographer as he works, focusing on two of his models: Sarah Kanney, who has Sturge-Weber syndrome, and Jayne Waithera, who has albinism. "People stare," said Kanney, whose condition is characterized by a facial port-wine stain. "Are we really so different and not like you that you have to stare?"

"We are not ghostlike, we are just human beings," added Waithera.

In the documentary, Guidotti remarked that many people compliment on his ability to reveal his participants' inner beauty. "F*ck inner beauty," he exclaimed. "These kids are gorgeous!" See their beauty for yourself in the trailer above, then visit the movie's website to learn more.