Luminous

Luminous did something for me that no other science documentary has ever done; it brought tears to my eyes.

Rarely do we see the drama of scientific research portrayed realistically on the screen. Most science documentaries focus on the science itself, telling a tidied up story that suppresses and caricatures the human dimension, told with titillating exaggeration and fantasy. These tidied up stories bypass the real human story behind scientific discovery. They condense years or decades of hard work and incessant intellectual search, into flashes of supernatural insight. And they have a regrettable tendency to neatly sort out the scientists into winners and losers, with the certainty of hindsight, ascribing "genius" to the former and casting insinuations on the latter of pseudoscience and moral failing. All of this, entertaining as it may be to those who have never worked in science, fails to portray the route to discovery authentically.

This documentary delivers a glimpse into the life of a living scientist, in all its humanity, in all its complexity, with its exhilarating highs, and raw disappointments, that a full life brings.

In a time when a lot of people are dickering about whether or not we should "trust the science," this film is a sane and calm-voiced articulation of how science actually works. In a time when many of us don't love institutions, this is a visual poem to the quiet reliability of small liberal arts colleges. Sam Smartt's videography is utterly sure, utterly competent. And his sense of what makes a good story is also strong, too. (No spoilers here, but the story is anything but predictable.) There's a lot of wisdom in this movie, especially wisdom about how discovery is both a work of art and a work of exhaustive precision---but it's a wisdom that gets conveyed through beauty.

I enjoyed this movie, because it reveals so much about Larry and his work. With great faith he went out on a limb to tell the world about his predictions. As the story unfolds it combines the telling of the physics with the telling of Larry's life, making it both educational and moving. The drama pulls you in. Exilharating!

The movie tells much about what it is to be a college professor at a small university--something that really needs to be told. And it tells about the awesome work required to put together a paper and a presentation about scientific research. I was absorbed by the interweaving of personalities and technology.

LUMINOUS is an excellent film with so much heart and soul. Larry is such a great protagonist, and filmmaker Sam Smartt does a phenomenal job representing him and his essence with complexity and care. The film pulls off a difficult feat, getting the viewer to care foremost about the people and the pursuit of science (rather than the discovery itself) while also still educating about science and history along the way. The layer of faith was woven in such an elegant way. The story was fun and serious and raises important questions about science and life. Highly recommend this well-told and thoughtful film!