Coming to theatres today, Friday, July 10: SLINGSHOT
Paul Lazarus’ profile of an inventor’s efforts to make clean water available around the world debuted at Cinequest last year. Other fest berths have included Cleveland, Florida, Heartland, Woodstock, Nashville, and Denver, among others.
Lazarus’ film focuses on Dean Kamen, best-known as the creator of the Segway, and, contrary to urban legend, not the fatal victim of an accident involving the slow-moving personal transport device. The humanitarian inventor has a far more impressive track record, however, bringing devices to the marketplace that have saved countless lives, including the insulin pump and a portable dialysis machine. He’s now obsessed with his newest mission, finding a way to bring his titular water purification device to developing nations, where it can literally mean the difference between life and death. Despite the earnest Kamen’s self-deprecating comments, the film too often feels like a promotional tool or hagiography and lacks a compelling narrative arc to help it transcend its workmanlike approach.
what (not) to doc 