Me and Isaac Newton

This is fabulous.



It's a documentary directed by Michael Apted (Gorillas in the Mist) and focuses on seven modern day scientists: three women, four men, a wide variety of fields. Once you hear their accomplishments, you wonder why theirs are not household names. Why do we hear about sports stars and socialites but not these people?

The documentary is about what made them want to be scientists, what they have achieved, what do they see as their moral obligation. When I was reading the dvd blurb to the kids I said, "I think this might just be a bunch of people talking. We might not even see a lemur. Just because it mentions a lemur, don't get disappointed if there isn't one."

Because I sometimes forget that my kids are not 5 years old anymore.

Hugo said, "Mom, it sounds good. Just put it on."

So, it's not zooboomafu. But it is excellent.

What I liked most was that some of these scientists arrived in their careers a bit by accident, in roundabout ways. Some knew they wanted to be scientists from an early age but not all. That is a good thing to hear for kids who are not quite sure yet 'what they want to be' when they grow up.

I also think too often our kids lose the sense that one person can make a difference, and certainly as science and knowledge as a whole becomes increasingly complicated, a lot of the work is done collaboratively in teams. But still, on those teams are individuals, and their contributions are great.

I highly recommend this for the 10 and up crowd. Note that there is some emotionally moving content - there are scientists working on cancer treatments, and on water quality in the 3rd world. Dirty water kills 5000 children A DAY. These are real problems people are tackling, and while that's not the focus of the documentary, it is in there and it packs an emotional whallop.

It is an amazingly hopeful and inspiring film. Even if your kids have no interest in becoming scientists, I think they will appreciate it because the quest to live a good life is surely universal.

I suggest that you do not look up any of these scientists ahead of time. If you don't know them, just let them tell their own stories. The stories unfold quite amazingly throughout the film.

As a woman, a feminist, and mother of a girl, I was thrilled to see the women in this movie. Absolutely wonderful.

Really young viewers might find the beginning just a bit slow. The film does show the scientists in their own environments, and there is some beautiful cinematography but it is not done in the frantic modern fashion with abrupt scene and angle changes. It is more of a contemplative movie.

But there are lemurs.

And robots!