Suppose $g$ is a Lorentzian metric on $\mathbb{R}^4$, then consider the variational problem of finding extrema of $$F(\gamma) = \int_a^b \| \dot{\gamma}(s) \|_g ds$$ The so-called "null curves" are defined as curves for which the integrand $\| \dot{\gamma}(s) \|_g$ is zero, i.e. they have zero "speed" measured by $g$. Are such curves necessarily extrema of $F$? **NOTE: I changed the wording of the question: I replaced "null geodesic" with "null curve"**