Produced and directed by Tracy Droz Tragos, who previously directed Rich Hill, Independent Lens, and Abortion: Stories Women Tell, the film shadows the four kids — Sadie, Jaxon, Simone, and Brittany — as they venture from local high schools in Wyoming, Orlando, Maine and The Bronx to equivalent schools in Finland, South Korea, Switzerland and the Netherlands. Viewers will hear firsthand from the students about their experiences, and their thoughts on what the American education system gets right… and gets wrong when it comes to preparing them for their respective futures. Ripley is also a major presence in the film, sharing her point of view and putting Sadie, Jaxon, Simone and Brittany’s successes and failures in context. The general vibe from the trailer is that the American system isn’t doing right by our children. As one student notes, “I think everyone deserves to have a really great education. To limit that is to limit someone’s life, and I don’t think that’s right.” The Smartest Kids in the World will begin streaming on Discovery+ on August 16. You can try Discovery+ free for a week.
