Subverting

Wayne is a fixture on the banger circuit – a rough style of racing in self-built cars. Now that his son Jai-Dee is nearly 13, his debut “full contact” race is finally in view.Jess Kohl’s new short film immerses us into the boisterous world at the same time as revealing a tender relationship between a father and a son. This cinematic coming-of-age story poignantly reframes expectations of masculinity in a tough sport.I spoke with Kohl about making the film, how she gained the trust of this family in order to authentically…

In a drab hearing room in Austin, Tex., members of the State Board of Education, seated at small desks arranged in a broad, socially distanced circle, debated whether eighth grade science students should be required to “describe efforts to mitigate climate change.” One board member, a longtime public school science teacher, argued in favor of the proposed new requirement. Another, an in-house attorney for Shell Oil Company, argued to kill it. The attorney won. In the end, the board voted to require that eighth grade…