IFFBoston Screening Series
Rocket Science
Directed by: Jeffrey Blitz
Thursday, July 26 - 7:30pm
Somerville Theatre - 55 Davis Square
A teenager tackles the mysteries of life, love and public speaking in ROCKET SCIENCE, a wry comedy of adolescent angst by Jeffrey Blitz, director of the Academy Award®-nominated documentary SPELLBOUND. Making his feature narrative debut, Blitz conjures a world where everyone, regardless of age, is befuddled by desire and the longing for human connection.
Life is not easy for teenager Hal Hefner (Reece Daniel Thompson). His parents, have abruptly split; his older brother, Earl (Vincent Piazza) is a budding obsessive-compulsive who pushes him around; and he has an unpredictable stutter that makes high school an exercise in embarrassment, self-effacement and terrible lunches.
Given that his active mind and quick wit tend to be obscured by his problematic voice, Hal is not an obvious candidate for his school’s high-powered debate team. So it comes as a complete, though not unwelcome, surprise when the team’s star member, the hyper-articulate Ginny Ryerson (Anna Kendrick, CAMP), approaches Hal on the school bus one afternoon. She has seen Hal, she has seen his promise. Hal is more than just shocked, or even dazed; he is smitten.
The road ahead holds many twists, turns and bumps for Hal Hefner; despite his best efforts, people and circumstances prove more unpredictable than any stutter. But Hal rises to the occasion, and in doing so he scores a victory that has nothing to do with winning a debate—and everything to do with finding his voice.
