Without becoming a hectoring science lesson, Let There Be Light follows a group of super-scientists tasked with essentially saving the world.
The elusive quest to develop nuclear fusion has long been a narrative staple of subpar thrillers. (The Val Kilmer-starring The Saint and the misbegotten Keanu Reeves vehicle Chain Reaction being two of the most egregious examples.) But in Mila Aung-Thwin and Van Royko's new documentary, the possibility of ending the globe's dependence on fossil fuels is less a cheap plot MacGuffin and more a very real possibility – the end game of clean technology. In southern France, the filmmakers follow a group of super-scientists tasked with essentially saving the world and the results are both enlightening and terrifying. What could have been a hectoring science lesson turns out to be more thrilling than any late-90s Keanu Reeves movie. As the actor might say himself, "Whoa."
Barry Hertz