SCIENCE FAIR: FIRST PLACE FOR THIS DOC!
The saying "children are our future" rings particularly true throughout Science Fair, an insightful and sweet documentary from National Geographic. The competition the film centers around is not an average science fair- no baking soda volcanoes here. It is the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) and the competitor's projects focus on developing new stethoscope technology, detecting arsenic, working with artificial intelligence, and creating new aerospace design. Not exactly the kind of science I was learning in my sophomore year chemistry class. While the film revolves around science its real strength lies in its subjects. The teenagers the doc focuses on are all brilliant, determined and endearing. I could have listened to them talk about their work for hours more. The film does a good job of keeping its pacing quick and not getting too tied down in trying to explain the technical science behind each project. It also creates a sweet and genuine narrative around each contestant that made me wholeheartedly root for them. It is both entertaining and surprisingly stressful to watch each contestant participate in ISEF and I was genuinely nervous for each of them for the majority of the film. While Science Fair begins as a movie about science and competition, as we meet the contestants and learn more about their lives beyond the science lab, it becomes more about humanity and the hopes and dreams of a new generation. These teens will save the world one day and it is refreshing and almost overwhelmingly emotional to watch their pure determination and genuine passion for science.