An A for effort

Science fairs take centre stage in doc about competition

So if you thought that a kick-ass baking-soda volcano or maybe an electric circuit was the epitome of science fair success, you’re not in the same league as the young people in this documentary from first-time feature directors Cristina Costantini and Darren Foster. Entrants at the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) are working on projects that include an arsenic detector, a new kind of stethoscope, a way to fight the Zika virus, a flying-wing aircraft, neural networks and a study of risk-taking. No Styrofoam solar system models for these kids. The co-directors follow a bunch of participants from their high-school work through to the ISEF finals, which last year were held in Los Angeles. Most are Americans, though the flying-wing guy is from Germany, and the Zika researchers hail from rural Brazil, where the 2015 outbreak of the disease began. There aren’t many similarities among these young women and men — Anjali from Kentucky is very intense, for instance, while Ryan looks, acts and lives like a surfer dude. But it becomes clear that, in addition to natural smarts and drive, a dedicated coach or mentor is a must, as are parents who are, if not overtly supportive, then at least benignly indifferent. One bemused father of a math genius marvels at how his son programmed a computer to rap in the style of Kanye West; he says all his did with his youth was mess about and crash cars. The film is fascinating, and delivers a welcome pro-science message from a country that sometimes seems to be sliding toward a new Dark Age. But there’s a distinct lack of tension in the competition. The filmmakers weren’t allowed to film the judging, which makes for a narrative hole that a “judging begins in ...” countdown can’t fill. Though we do get to see the effect on the kids, for whom fevers, fainting and throwing up are not uncommon responses to the stress. Maybe someone could do a science-fair project about that ...