Bill Nye: Science Guy

Bill Nye became known in the nineties through a television programme that explained science to children in America; his bow tie and rapid delivery put him into the memory of a generation. The documentary finds him trying to leave those years behind. He wants to bring into being the spacecraft his teacher Carl Sagan had dreamed of, one that travels by solar sail. But something else keeps getting in front of him: he is called into debates with people who reject evolution and climate change. The film, co-directed by David Alvarado and Jason Sussberg, neither defends Nye nor exalts him. Figures on the other side such as Ken Ham speak in their own words, and the film also questions what these debates get Nye; some scientists think encounters like these lend legitimacy to the deniers, and that objection is heard plainly in the film. Neil deGrasse Tyson and Ann Druyan are among those who speak. Ninety-five minutes.