Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey is a truly fascinating movie. It is a character study of Kevin Clash, the man behind Elmo. As a young black kid growing up in Baltimore, he found his calling in puppetry. After being inspired by Jim Henson's Muppets, he created his own puppets and started putting on puppet shows for kids and charities in his neighborhood. He eventually got a shot in public access television before moving onto the big leagues and working with Jim Henson himself on Sesame Street.
As a documentary, it's impressive. We get to witness important personal moments in his life, but those are almost too intimate to watch while simultaneously being beautifully human and touching. Likewise, there is a wealth of footage that shows Clash's love affair with puppetry. We get to see his inimitable skill as he creates entire lives with his hands and his voice, and teaches others to do the same. We see his eyes brighten up with joy when he first visits the puppet factory, and every time he puts a puppet on his hand. The storytelling itself is even more terrific than I could have hoped for, bringing everything back to the beginning and rewarding the patient viewer. Being Elmo is a mesmerizing story that is sure to delight all viewers.
IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1787660/