Mark Reviews Movies: SCIENCE FAIR

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Review by Mark Dujsik | October 4, 2018

There's a better documentary to be found somewhere within the topic, the subjects, and, perhaps, the deleted footage of Science Fair. The movie follows a collection of nine students as they qualify for and compete in the 2017 International Science and Engineering Fair, as well as the teacher of nine separate students whose projects were also qualified to be in competition at the fair (There's an entire documentary in that story alone).

As one might expect, with so many subjects, we don't have much time to get to know about their personalities, their lives, or their goals in much detail. We learn that they are all passionate and want to win at the fair, because winning could open doors for their futures that might otherwise remain closed. This is, of course, almost not worth stating, since it's obvious. It's definitely not worth repeating as many times as it's repeated here. A little more context for each student or a deeper focus on fewer subjects might have given us a reason to be invested in their stories—to truly understand what makes them unique.

Instead, directors Cristina Costantini and Darren Foster are more interested in the process of the fair, which accepts about 1,700 students from around the world, based on their success at regional, state, or national competitions. We follow each subject, one at a time, as he or she makes his or her way through a local fair, and then, all of them gather in Los Angeles. A clock counts down the time before the judging starts. Their stories become collectively about nerves and anxiety.

Lost among the human interest side of things is the actual content of the projects. We learn about each one to one degree or another. A couple are genuinely fascinating, but the filmmakers seem too concerned that we might not understand them (which seems counterintuitive, since the fair is all about explaining the project). By the time the ISEF arrives, most of those projects are forgotten in favor of a party, preparation for the fair, and a montage of past winners.

The idea of this documentary is worthwhile, especially if it encourages young people to discover or pursue an interest in science, technology, engineering, and/or medicine. Whatever noble goals may be behind Science Fair, though, do not make up for a documentary that does too little with so much.

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