Films are meant to capture the very essence of a story and that is exactly what Sean McNamara did with his film Spare Parts. It is sure to capture the hearts of all viewers, even those who claim that they do not have a soft spot for inspirational films.
The story centers around the incredible story of four underprivileged Hispanic high school students who form a robotics club in order to participate in one of the biggest robotic competitions in the country. With the help of Mr. Cameron, a willing substitute teacher with an engineering degree, the boys are able to form their robotics club and get their project underway. He helps the boys along the way and is inspired by their motivation and integrity given their circumstances. Despite their contrasting personalities, they learn to work together in harmony and form a friendship that mirrors brotherhood.
This film is based on a true story and features well-known actors and actresses such as George Lopez, Jamie Lee Curtis, Marisa Tomei, Alexa PenaVega, and more. All of these talented individuals were able to bring these people to life in a very realistic and raw manner which added greater meaning to the film and its delivery. The actors who portray the real life people include Carlos PenaVega, David Del Rio, J.R. Villarreal, and Jose Julian.
Although this event took place in 2004, the story has once again stepped into spotlight because of the success of the film. Fredi Cajvardi, the real-life teacher, stated “This is the attention we kind of expected at the time, but it’s 10 years after the fact” to show his surprise in regards to the popularity their story received from the media and entertainment sector.
After the four boys competed at UC Santa Barbara against Ivy League schools and won gold, surprisingly enough, life in their hometown did not change for them much. Christian Arcega, one of the boys, explained that “when we got back we didn’t really receive any kind of attention for almost a year. And it’s also, in our community, positive stories don’t really get highlighted-it’s usually the negative aspects of our community that reach the most attention.” They thought that such an accomplishment would change their lives drastically, but when they returned to Arizona, the news was praised but not enough to change their day-to-day lives as they expected. Even optimistic Fredi Lajvardi claimed that “shortly afterwards, everything was the same and nothing changed” which is quite surprising considering that they had just beat top universities at a national robotics competition.
Lajvardi taught the boys that they must first be able to believe in themselves if they wanted anyone else to believe in them. He acclaimed the boys for their accomplishment and their determination to keep working even when they were encountered with difficulties. Lajvardi added “What those boys did was open up the doors for all the kids that followed behind, and it made it impossible for any other students to have any other excuses, because these kids had so much against them” in hopes that the boys’ story will bring inspiration to those who are unsure of trying something new and reaching their goals.
Sean McNamara brought a sense of community, hopefulness and spirit to Spare Parts that is evident throughout the film whether it was the fact that many individuals could relate to the characters-young and old alike, or the fact that it is a story that highlights the importance of comradery and optimism, despite the difficulties that life often brings our way.