A Brilliant Young Mind (2014) User Reviews

A Heart-warming Tale of Connection between Two Vastly Different Souls

[rjsf96 · 8/10 · 6 April 2015]

'X+Y' is somewhat of a detour for its star and revelation, Asa Butterfield. He is already in popular demand, having been at the centre of Martin Scorsese's attention in 'Hugo' and the failed Young Adult fantasy adaptation 'Ender's Game'. It seems strange to me that Butterfield has forgone the realm of Hollywood Blockbusters to enter a profound and revealing Indie Drama. Consider me happy beyond measure.

'X+Y' sees Butterfield play the intelligent, but autistic Nathan. He finds it extremely hard to form bonds, even with his own mother. Nathan never admits it, but we can tell that he blames her for the awful car crash that proved fatal to his father. Whom he had always shared a special connection. He finds he is able to maintain new friendships when he gains a place on the British Squad at the International Mathematics Olympiad. This gives Nathan newfound confidence and the attention of a girl on the opposing squad. Nathan understands Mathematics better than anyone, even his parents at the age of five. But he is not able to work out why he has an attraction to this girl, by the name of Zhang Mei played with keen spirit by Jo Yang. He diverts so much of his attention to her, that he finds it increasingly difficult to keep his mind focused on what matters most for his future.

'X+Y' is the type of film that is all too rare to find in the cinema. When it finally does appear on the big screen, it lasts a week before it stops being shown. Therefore, if you are reading this then I am sorry, but at least you can pre order the DVD. I wish there were more films like this, with the same energy, style, charm, acting talent and intimacy. The movies would be a better place for it.

The script for 'X+Y' is handled with care and delicately, so that every line shows the audience what rapt attention to detail the screenwriter paid to make sure it flows smoothly, even containing laughs and many heartfelt moments scattered throughout its brief runtime. The most marvellous thing of all is that 'X+Y' contains two romances and both of them feel genuine and make sense. They do not slow down the pacing and only highlight what a joy the film is to behold. The casting from Sally Hawkins to Rafe Spall plays a large part in selling the romance to the audience. Not only making them invest in it, but believe it as well. The music feels soft and tender, never overbearing always hitting the right notes on the nose. The cinematography is excellent and proves that films do not need CGI fakery to look splendid or gorgeous; I am looking at you Peter Jackson.

'X+Y' may be ultimately too predictable, but at least it feels sweet and soothing, a truly lovely film to engage in and even shed a tear when it all ends. Hollywood simply does not make films like this anymore. Can you resist? Will you even want to try? I urge you to at least give 'X+Y' a chance, it deserves at the very least to be seen once.

A heart-wrenching film based on a true story

[jeffreyycheung · 8/10 · 14 March 2015]

I am not going to reveal any details about the film and I would highly recommend that you go to the cinema or get it on DVD to watch it yourself. I have the great honour to know this guy on whom the movie is based. We were having lunch and he told me that a director was going to shoot a film about him. That was more than two years ago in a Chinese hotpot restaurant in London where he took me. My friend could read the Three Kingdoms book and is fascinated with all the figures. He loves to play a game based on the Three Kingdoms. I felt quite embarrassed when he invited me to play and I said 'I am sorry, I don't know how to play it'. He really is a genius and a role model. Days ago in 2015 he sent me a message telling me that the film was on now. Therefore I went to the cinema to watch this long waited film. To be honest, I was a bit suspicious about if Asa Butterfield was going to deliver this task of portraying my friend. But after watching it, I am totally convinced that he managed successfully. The acting in this film including all the leading and supporting actors and actresses is stunningly good. Watching the film all the way through was not an easy task for me and I found it really hard sometimes as it was quite reminiscing and upset for myself. Part of it also reminded me of the 'dark July' almost everyone in China has been through - the national matriculation tests to enter universities. Day and night we sat there trying to figure out all these maths, physics and chemistry questions. Nervousness, frustration, fear, upset. The questions of course were no where near those at the IMO, but the feelings we had back then was comparable to the contestants. The film centred on some very true aspects of real life, cruel but real. Either 0 or 1, no grey area. So where do I belong if I do not fit into either 1 or 0? Maybe the two limits of both Nathan and his mom do converge at a point and that point is love. It is very difficult to write a review without mentioning the details, perhaps I failed to convince people by writing this review, but the film will not fail you.

A Forgettable Film

[cevolatile · 6/10 · 13 September 2015]

This movie has great value: acting, directing, editing, even the dialogue is good. But where's the plot? Is the central conflict that he has Asperger's, or that his dad died, or that he's mean to his mom, or that he's in this math competition? I couldn't tell, and either could the movie. In the end the main character shows a little emotion and violin music plays and I'm supposed to give this movie 10 stars? Sorry, I hate to say it but this movie is premised on the fact that people will give it high ratings because it's about a kid with mental problems. It's like Blood Diamond, because I'm supposed to feel bad I'm not supposed to say anything bad about the movie. Well the problem with this movie was lack of plot and story... nothing happens and none of the conflicts in the movie resolve at all. There's no tension to any of the scenes, despite the theatrical music that plays throughout, because the only thing that can/does happen in this movie is the main character not understanding or being able to function in social situations. Which doesn't make for a very good plot. 6/10 stars: an enjoyable movie that you'll forget in 10 minutes.

Young math prodigy has to learn to fit in with the world around him.

[TxMike · 27 September 2018]

My wife and I watched this movie on Amazon streaming, it turns out to be significantly better than I had hoped. Young Butterfield, around 16 or 17 during filming, does a remarkable job playing a complex teenager.

The subject is nominally a maths prodigy who gets the opportunity to be a member of a team representing England for the maths olympics. But that only is the starting point, the boy lost his father at a young age and being borderline autistic finds relating to others and having meaningful conversations very difficult. All he enjoys doing is mathematics.

Asa Butterfield is remarkably good as the boy, Nathan Ellis. He bonds with a maths teacher who helps him along and urges him to apply for the maths team. But when he gets to the far east where they will train with a Chinese team he is immediately a fish out of water with no idea how to fit in, but he gets help from a young Chinese girl, English actress Jo Yang as Zhang Mei, who likes Nathan and gives him a way to learn to be a better adjusted person.

A really good movie. A bit of a "Good Will Hunting" ending.

Perhaps too gooey for its own good, there's earnesty behind and in front of the camera.

[Sergeant_Tibbs · 7/10 · 8 August 2015]

Since The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time seems to be staying on the stage rather than hitting the screen, I've been curious as to when UK cinema would dig into the perspective of a kid on the autism spectrum with the same affection. Disregard the dark aspects of Haddon's novel, and X+Y has a wonderful element of bringing someone who's inherently felt like an outsider into a world where they aren't alone with math competitions. It's nice and affectionate, though dips into gooey realms of sentimentality. But despite a few insincere or extraneous moments, it gets away with it due to director Morgan Matthew's earnestness. It's definitely easy to enjoy splendid moments where the photography has a chance to show off. It does tend to romantize far too much, particularly about China and England, but it's fairly balanced though it does have a rushed pace. I'd like to say Asa Butterfield is the highlight, but Rafe Spall steals the show in a gruff sharp performance that channels his dad in a way that makes me look forward to what he's going to do next. It's great to see a little Happy-Go-Lucky reunion with reliable support from Sally Hawkins and Eddie Marson. X+Y may rely on certain clichés, but it has a confident vision when it could've been bland.

7/10

To the makers of this film: THANK YOU

[LostMartian · 10/10 · 21 November 2014]

Let me start off with a disclaimer: I am an aspie. A mild aspie, but an aspie nonetheless. I can get very upset at times, at other times I can become very nervous, and am anxious a lot of the time. I write and I act for many reasons, but one of the biggest is that through those films I can express the things I otherwise can't bring myself to. I suppose that's why I'm writing this. The average perception of those on the spectrum is as follows: Weird, odd, sad, different. We're seen as someone to pity or someone who's an easy target for a joke. The media doesn't do us many favours either, with films tending to all stick to common stereotypes without every really looking underneath. At least, that's how it feels. X+Y is a film that looks underneath, and I love it for that. (And yes, I'm aware it took nine lines until I actually started talking about the film, and for that I apologise. I'll try to make up for it) I will admit, this film was sometimes hard to watch for me, and that some scenes hit very close to home. This film doesn't shy away from the truth, nor does it allow itself to be clouded by sentimentality. This film was directed by a documentary filmmaker, and you can tell; the film is involved, up close, personal, and always strives to convey the truth. Basically, this film gets it. I don't think I've felt as strong an emotional connection to a film in a very long time. The characters were beautifully written and performed by the stellar cast, but I feel a special mention has to be given to three of the actors in particular: Asa Butterfield, who portrays Nathan with such grace and skill, and captures the mannerisms and inner struggles of those on the spectrum brilliantly. The character is well written, yes, but I honestly can't imagine any other actor in the role. It is without a doubt the best performance of his career, and if he doesn't win SOMETHING for his role, I will be incredibly disappointed. He turns the character into a real person, a real person who just thinks and acts a little differently to everyone else. A real person who deserves to be treated as anyone else would, and not looked down upon. Words cannot describe how good he is in this film (and I could say the same about the two others to come). Just…wow. A great performance. Sally Hawkins, who portrays Nathan's mother Julie with such warmth, such heart and such believability. Not only does the film focus on Nathan alone, it also focuses on those he cares about, Julie in particular. She's someone who has sacrificed so much, and has had to care for her son on her own. She understands why Nathan doesn't want to hold her hand or talk to her, but understanding doesn't make it any easier for her to deal with, and still feels that she doesn't understand Nathan at all. Sally Hawkins, bravo. Finally, Jake Davies, who plays the character Luke. And honestly, I'm at a loss for words. I cried at most of the moments he was on screen: I cried out of recognition of both my younger self and of those I have met further up the spectrum than myself. I once knew someone just like Luke, and one scene in particular which involves a re-enactment of a famous comedy sketch almost felt like it came from real life. I was never really like Luke, but I've met plenty of people who are, and to see people like him represented in a film is brilliant. People like Luke Shelton exist in every school, and are all treated the same: bullied, and made fun of or belittled. It's not their fault that they insult people; they don't do it deliberately, they just don't understand how people can be offended. They don't read faces or hear speech patterns like the average person does, but that doesn't mean that people like Luke don't feel emotion themselves. They do, they really do. And Jake Davies conveys that brilliantly, and even manages to make us laugh a few times. (I noticed I said "I'm at a loss for words" and yet managed to talk about his performance the most. Go figure.) I forgot I was looking at actors; I just saw real people. (As a side note, I adored every performance in the film, it's just that those three touched me the most).

To the makers of this film: thank you. Just…thank you. You have made an aspie who sometimes feels like nobody understands realise that people do understand. This film is just glorious, fantastic and truthful. People, spread the word! All must watch this! Make sure that X+Y doesn't get overshadowed, and make sure you go in knowing as little as possible. Don't watch the trailer like I did, because it gives away far too much.

My favourite film of 2014, and one of my favourites of all time. A masterpiece, plain and simple.

EDIT: Wow. Looked back on this review after a few months and was stunned by the amount of attention it got. Also was sorry to hear that a few people didn't like the film. Ah well. If this review managed to get a few more people to see the film, then that's grand. A few users have said some reviews misled them, and if mine was one of them, well then I'm sorry you were disappointed. Really, I am. It's a shame you didn't like it as much as I did, and it was never my intention to mislead. Basically, the above review still reflects how I felt when I first watched the film. If you didn't like the film, then I'm sorry. I still love X+Y. And if you don't...you don't. OPINIONS! (Cue Seinfeld music and laugh-track as I slide away from my laptop)

Excellent Movie on difficulties of Autism

[MennoMan · 7/10 · 7 September 2015]

Genres at IMDb is WRONG.. not a comedy.

It is true this movie does have a few touching moment that will make you smile, this does not make it a comedy. The films subjects include the affliction of Autism, coping with illness, coping with lose and living without returned love, self inflicted boundaries and the struggle to overcome dealing with others regardless of your own struggle. The story is about a young boy with autism who faces the difficulties coping with life without the key person he was dependent on. Add to this his autistic ability at math which places him in a scenario where he placed in a new environment. Along with the boy, we also see the difficulties of his mother which must deal his affliction and teachers who must deal with his. Overall, not just about the child. The base of the film is in England and in China with great scenery. Added t this is fin acting and a good plot. Without a spoiler, he finally comes to a change in his life with the help of many who loves him. I found the ending touching.

The Awkardness of Life

[northshoremobile · 9/10 · 26 July 2015]

I pre-ordered "X+Y" from the UK, not realizing it was being released in the US (under a different name). This ended up being one of my favorite movies of this year, but I feel like many people will not give it a chance for several reasons, but mainly the subject matter.

"It" is a delicate petal to step around to a lot of people. Nathan is not the epitome of all people on the spectrum, he is unique and also based on a real person (albeit loosely). You don't have to have any kind of "diagnosed condition" to understand the hardships portrayed in the film. His is not the only struggle, just the most emphasized.

I must say that I was impressed with Asa Butterfield's portrayal of Nathan. Not many actors can convey emotions or thoughts without actually saying much of anything. When you feel empathy for a character, you know the actor is doing far more than just saying their memorized lines. That being said, everyone did a pretty good job bringing their characters to life.

A good try

[DeanManou · 7/10 · 24 November 2020]

It made me cringe to some scenes, I was rolling at my bed whenever cringy stuff were happening.

Overall, it's a good film for its category, but up until there. And like some other dude said at his review, indeed, you will probably forget you watched it the next day.

Butterfield has one heck of a career ahead of him

[A_Different_Drummer · 9/10 · 23 August 2015]

In my reviews I have observed on more than one occasion that the Brits don't know how to make a bad film. Their challenge is usually in making a great film.

This is a case in point. Technically perfect, with a script so polished it gleams, and acting so sharp that even the secondary roles stay in your head long after the credits roll.

Butterfield's character is a young boy with Autism who, as a result, may or may not be a world class math prodigy. The point of the story however is not whether his character will win a math Olympics but rather if he will ever become a functioning human being.

Butterfield, in a cast of greats, stands out. Has a great career ahead of him, he has mastered the art of delivering dialog with his eyes.

The wonderful Sally Hawkins (Poppy in the unforgettable Happy Go Lucky) does a great job in a difficult role as the mother. Since Butterfield's character as written is constantly ignoring his mother, there is a tendency for the audience to do so as well. Hawkins does not allow this.

It is an excellent film, more a journey than a destination, and therefore not for everyone.

My favourite scene -- the one I will remember for a very long time -- is Butterfield with his (almost) Chinese girlfriend, eating some take-out.

The container is opened and the number of comestibles inside is NOT a prime number. The audience (by that point) has been trained to know this will be a cause of great discomfort for the boy, who likes his meals pre-sorted in prime numbers.

The girl notices his discomfort and he quickly explains the problem to her. With no hesitation she grabs one of the items and wolfs it down happily.

Problem solved! It is a microcosm for the film - start with an impossible boy, add a naturally joyful and spontaneous young woman, and the result is ... serendipity.

A sentimental story about dealing with isolation and loneliness !!!

[avik-basu1889 · 6/10 · 9 September 2015]

'A Brilliant Young Mind' is a very charming film which tells the story of a unique and gifted boy named Nathan, who was diagnosed with autism at an early age. But he likes patterns and orders which leads him to quickly discover that he is a maths genius. A high school teacher named Martin Humphries takes him under his wing and mentors him so that he achieves success in his quest to represent the British team in the International Mathematics Olympiad.

The film really is about an individual's struggle with loneliness and trying to find a place for yourself in a world that you can't relate to and where no one seems to understand you. This theme is not just applicable for Nathan in the film, it transcends to other characters too like his mother Julie and his teacher Humphries. They all feel lonely and can't quite come to terms with it. The director Morgan Matthews does an admirable job in giving enough importance to every character. It is a humanistic film. You can feel that the director loves and understands his characters.

The acting is the strongest aspect of the film for me. Everyone is at the top of the game. Asa Butterfield plays the protagonist Nathan and does it brilliantly. When you are playing a character who is autistic and socially awkward, it can be a tough job and you run the risk of overacting. But he puts in a brilliantly nuanced performance and is always believable. Sally Hawkins and Rafe Spall are also flawless. They give a lot of depth to their respective characters and force the viewers to feel their distress.

The film is well directed. The film is shot very well with a lot of intricate work done with bright colours on screen to accentuate Nathan's perspective and point of view. The pacing is also tight. But the screenplay written by James Graham felt very mechanical at times. The plot becomes a little too cheesy and there are some scenes that felt extremely predictable and very familiar due to their resemblance with scenes from other films dealing with similar story lines. The predictability and the slightly overused melodrama in the 2nd half of the film did take me out of the film to some extent and prevented me from liking the film as much as I would have wanted to.

As a whole the film does work due to the brilliant performances from all actors concerned and due to the affectionate manner in which Matthews treats his characters. But the predictable and overly saccharine nature of the screenplay is detrimental to the overall quality of the film. But the acting and the characters make this film worth recommending for me.

Very worthy movie!

[kevjfarrell · 9/10 · 16 March 2015]

Excellent performances all round for this charming story concentrating on a family who have a son on the autistic spectrum. The characters are very believable and put in sterling performances. The youngsters especially are great. It gives an accurate insight into the world of autism from everyone's point of view. Sally Hawkins as the mother gets it totally right! Fine actress she is. I know it's early days, but I would like to see some Oscar nominations for this movie. I would like to give this movie a 10, but I feel the ending is somewhat too simplistic and almost Disney-esque 'Happily Ever After' scenario. Autism isn't a one-size-fits-all condition, and people shouldn't come away with the idea that everyone with autism is a genius. The social awkwardness is portrayed beautifully as is the feeling of not fitting in and seeing the world in a way that's different to most people. I highly recommend this movie. The whole story about an International Math Competition is very engaging. You will wipe your eyes too!

Mundane

[aparnakishen · 6/10 · 9 September 2015]

The movie came across as a 6.5 to me and a part of it might be the high expectations I had of it after seeing a 97% fresh rating and a lot of positive criticism. Expectations aside, having viewed movies on music prodigy, math prodigies and ones based on biographies,this came across as a rather mundane effort with little screen time spent on the beauty of Maths.

The characterization had be tad befuddled too. The specific aspects being the kid suffering from Asperger's which seems to be specifically directed at the mom. My medical knowledge of the condition is limited, however, it's understandable if they showed how the mom couldn't handle his condition but here that was not the case. He merged well enough with the team and took off rather well with the girl. Then why was he being a complete ass to his mother?

That being said, the acting and the pace of direction was good enough but left me wanting something better out of it.

Yet another great movie with an ending to ruin it

[persa_97 · 2/10 · 11 September 2015]

I won't really tell many spoilers but I don't know where they draw the line, so the warning is just in case.

This is an incredible movie (and when you read this then maybe you're questioning my decision to put 2/10) HOWEVER the ending was so disappointing on so many levels that I can't see myself giving this a high rating. The whole movie was based around his condition but (okay this next sentence is a spoiler|||) at the end it's just as if he's cured. I can't understand why they'd do that. (|||spoilers over) I feel like the entire movie was building up to something completely different than the end product. The ending was disappointing, it was inaccurate and just simply awful.

The movie until the last 30-40 minutes - 8/10

after the end - 2/10... So if you don't want the experience spoiled then you should just stop watching it by then.

Sensitive but predictable

[paul2001sw-1 · 6/10 · 22 May 2021]

Morgan Matthews's film 'x+y' is a story of a maths progidy, struggling to make sense of his life. In places it's perceptive, but it's also rather obvious: not just the central character, but just about everyone else in the mathematical world, is shown as somewhat autistic; even their teachers are socially limited (and his primary teacher faces his own battles with terminal disease). The hero is extraodinarily talented but is emotionally scarred by the death of his father; his mother is good natured but out of her depth; in the end, both of the only two girls in his world appear to fall for him. There are also some details that don't feel right: a Chinese team competing in Taiwan against a Taiwanese one; a Cambridge curiously devoid of tourists. To its credit, the film shies away from a purely triumphalist ending; but it never really goes anywhere you don't expect it to.

A wonderful surprise, one of the best this year!

[Garcwrites · 9/10 · 16 August 2015]

This movie came onto my radar because of the talent involved, I didn't really know what to expect, so I blindly went to see it.

From the start this film pulls you in and pull on your heart- strings. Granted, I was jet-lagged when I saw it, which probably explained why I was teary-eyed for much of the film. The movie, is very much a character film. It tackles every aspect of Nathan's life and that of the people around him. The film manages to be a family drama, a coming of age movie with a dash of romance, and a comedy at the same time. It all seamlessly fit together and keep you captivated.

The cast is out of this world. The group of young actors they chose is simply impressive because they are all so natural that it's easy to believe that they are the characters they're portraying. Asa Butterfield is wickedly talented and morphed into Nathan for the duration of the film.

Morgan Matthews' background in documentary film-making has a huge impact on how realistic and natural the film feels. The film really shows a wide spectrum of teenagers, among the socially awkward, quirky, math prodigy children. He conveys a strong message by showcasing these kids as they are and not falling into common stereotypes.

A Brilliant Young Mind is a gem that I would recommend to every one. I LOVED this film, it's touching and amazingly well made.

@Wornoutspines

Yea but not really

[skynetssl · 2 June 2019]

It starts kind of interesting but it gets repetitive and boring pretty fast. It has a very interesting topic that i usually enjoy quite a lot nonetheless, the implementation of x+y its mostly slow paced and it doesn't seem to be getting anywhere.

compelling characters

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 5 February 2017]

Nathan Ellis (Asa Butterfield) is confused by normal human interactions. His father Michael told him that his superpower is his math abilities but Michael is killed in a car accident when he was a kid. His mother Julie (Sally Hawkins) struggles alone. At school, Nathan is bullied except for irreverent math teacher Martin Humphreys (Rafe Spall). They work towards the International Mathematics Olympiad which Martin was a former participant. Nathan gets accepted and sent to Taipei for math camp led by Richard (Eddie Marsan). He finds other socially awkward math geniuses and Zhang Mei who is often dismissed for being the niece of the Chinese team coach.

The best scene is Sally Hawkins ordering Chinese takeout. This has some good characters, and some good scenes. Asa Butterfield plays autistic well. It would help the story by compressing several of the elements. Going to Taipei adds a little exoticism but it separated Nathan from his two important connections. The story would be more dramatic if he has to deal with Julie and Martin's budding romance. There is simply more possibilities if everybody stays together. The students are great character additions. The movie would work better by concentrating on math camp and staying at home.

Beautiful.

[CharlieGreenCG · 10/10 · 23 October 2014]

'I think I see the world differently to others' explains Nathan, played by Asa Butterfield. The distinction causing this however is that he is has been diagnosed with Autism, which passes the conclusion that he is socially awkward, shy and 'unique'.

Although considered disabled, Nathan is a maths-prodigy. A self- confessed, algebra loving whizz at that. Because of his advanced capability in the subject, Nathan joins a high-school a few years early and placed under the teaching of Raff Spall's character, Mr Hutchinson. Heading into early stages of MS, Hutchinson explains to Nathan a competition that he did in his youth and recommends he should enter it - the International Mathematics Olympiad, a world- wide competition similar to sporting, but rather than strong muscles, strong brains.

Chosen as one of the sixteen entries from the UK, he then joins a worldly-mix of other competitors in what is probably the most difficult children's test in the world.

At this point you realize how the story is going to end, along with the regular clichés. But X+Y keeps you on toes and raises the grade to unexpected.

Although X+Y is focused around maths, it doesn't matter. The subject could easily be replaced or removed and the film would hold strong by because in awe of the fundamental driven narrative. Put into cheesy maths terms X+Y is: Great casting + dramatic story + comedy - clichés = success.

Taking the on the central lead, Asa Butterfield (Ender's Game) stuns in the portrayal and authentically attaches us with emotion to his story. Co-starring as Nathan's mother, Sally Hawkins also gives a stellar performance.

Crafted with flashbacks, X+Y is very much about the destination as well as it is the journey. Comparable to A Beautiful Mind, this too is a prodigy excellence and a charming feature from Morgan Matthews.

An Equation of Love and Discovery

[ferguson-6 · 7/10 · 9 September 2015]

Greetings again from the darkness. Somewhat surprisingly, math has been the basis for some pretty interesting movies, including Good Will Hunting and A Beautiful Mind. Equally surprising are the quality movies with lead characters struggling with Asperger Syndrome or Autism – Adam and Rain Man, to name a couple. Also fascinating, albeit in a different way, are movies that have depicted child prodigies or geniuses. Examples of these are Little Man Tate, Searching for Bobby Fischer, and Akeelah and the Bee. However, it's this film from director Morgan Matthews that is the first I can recall to combine all three elements.

Mr. Matthews' directorial resume is filled with documentaries and he brings that no-nonsense approach to this story based on the life of David Lightwing, a young math genius with Asbergers. Asa Butterfield plays Nathan, a boy whose only love is mathematics. He lost his beloved father at an early age, and has since not connected with anyone … even his most devoted and long-suffering mother, played by Sally Hawkins.

Nathan begins studying under Rafe Spall's Martin, himself a former child math prodigy, whose struggles with Multiple Sclerosis act as a defense mechanism that prevents him from having any semblance of a well-rounded life. The two are a perfect match, and within a few years, Nathan is competing to join the prestigious International Mathematics Olympiad held at Cambridge. Martin has his own personal history with both the event and the team's coach, played by Eddie Marsan.

The film does a really nice job of illuminating the pressures on both loved ones (parents, teachers, etc) and the prodigies themselves. It explores the question of whether being "gifted" is really a gift or a burden. This is brought to life through the performances of Butterfield (and his many pained faces), Spall (as a man searching for meaning), and Hawkins (as a mother who yearns for nothing but a flash of reciprocity from her son). Also effective is Marsan as the coach, and Jo Yang as Nathan's Chinese study buddy.

It's a very touching story, and easily accessible for those of us who fall a bit short of the genius level. It also takes a shot at explaining love in math terms – not something previously featured on screen. And finally, it has one of the most heart-warming and sincere movie hugs one could ask for. In simple terms, it all adds up to a fine movie.

Life surprises all...

[heryzanya · 10/10 · 7 August 2015]

I always look at the rating of a movie here on IMDb before watching it. I guess I believe too much in its users' taste. Probably, I shouldn't do that. One perfect example is the movie I'm about to comment on now: an ordinary rate, 8, is very inappropriate, in my opinion, regarding to this movie. X+Y is a mild but powerful movie in the sense that it tells Nathan's story with no big emotions but always making us relate to him somehow, which is the best thing it could do. Most of us have a rather superficial idea about what it is to be "gifted", as if people like that were only highly smart but lacked "humanity" skills. However, this movies brings us a new perspective, not only on how gifted people deal with their emotional side, but especially on how the mathematics of life are unachievable to every human mind. Perhaps because life is the perfect prime number.

The sum of all parts

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 25 September 2015]

X + Y is a small intimate film that is sporadically amusing but suffers from a lightness of plot and an ending which to me smacks of 'we could not of think of how to end this film so this is how we leave things.'

Nathan (Asa Butterfield) is a high functioning autistic boy who excels in mathematics but cannot lacks displaying emotion to his mother (Sally Hawkins.) He lives an ordered life where he has his own rituals such as having certain types of food but he certainly not the touchy, feely kind of lad

As a young boy he was involved in a car accident that left his father dead. Over the course of the film we find out that the younger Nathan had a connection with his father and his death has left with some unresolved emotions.

Nathan gets extra maths tuition from his gruff school teacher (Rafe Spall) himself a child maths prodigy now struggling with Multiple Sclerosis. The film takes a turn when Nathan is selected to go to Taiwan to be in with a chance of joining the British team competing to at the International Mathematics Olympiad to be held at Cambridge. The team coach is played by Eddie Marsan who has to handle these various maths prodigies, a lot of them seem to nerds, geeks and high functioning autistic.

Here he meets a girl who is part of the Chinese team which makes him look differently at the world and give him a chance to emotionally connect.

I like the way film had some biting humour thanks to Marsan and Spall. The Taiwanese location shooting added a nice dimension to the film. However the screenplay never felt fully developed or was just choppily edited. I could never understand how Nathan went from a maths prodigy to suddenly be able to learn Chinese or play the piano and there was a love triangle set up which went nowhere.

However the ending felt too left field and left me dissatisfied.

First rate

[neil-476 · 9/10 · 20 March 2015]

Nathan is on the autism scale: though broadly functional, he finds emotional contact difficult, has OCD in certain areas, and so on: however, he is a maths prodigy and is sent to high school early to receive advanced maths tuition from Mr Humphrys, a mildly sardonic teacher in the early stages of multiple sclerosis. Humphrys sets Nathan on course for the British team in the International Maths Olympiad, for which he travels to Taipei and meets Zhang Mei, a non-autistic Chinese girl, also a maths whiz. We see Nathan tentatively exploring difficult areas, and also how other lives in his world change, too.

I had vaguely heard of this film, and was not expecting it to be anything special: it is. Sally Hawkins as Nathan's mum, coping on her own, is phenomenal, and Rafe Spall as Humphrys, blighted with his own problems, is nonetheless very human, both funny and touching. Eddie Marsan impresses me more with every film I see him in: Richard, the administrative head of Team GB is not a sympathetic part, but Marsan gives him some real heart. Jo Yang as Zhang Mei is a delight, and the kids generally are very good, but I must single out Jake Davies as the socially inept Luke Shelton, whose performance is heartbreaking. And this is Asa Butterfield's film. To some extent, giving a "disease of the week" performance is easy if all you seek to do is replicate the physical manifestation of the ailment. Butterfield here goes much, much deeper, and fulfils the early promise of Striped Shirt, Hugo et al.

If I were to be critical, I would say that the ending (which isn't entirely what I expected) could be accused of a little glibness, but that is being finicky. I cried, several times. This is great.

A geek mathematics Olympiad student's problems and how love is the only solution of everything.

[eva-34006 · 6/10 · 14 September 2015]

Before I watched the movie I checked the ratings here and other sites and I really thought this is a good movie . It was nice lighthearted and entertaining enough to finish the whole movie, but I can count lots of things missing. There was not enough layers to begin with either emotionally or for the plot . If the main purpose of movie emotions then it should have succeeded in that aspect or if they want approach conceptually then I would want to see more things about math or Nathan's spectrum disease. The problem with the movie does not focus anything enough to make us satisfied in at least one aspect and the plot is never thickens. Also mother's and teacher's relationship was very redundant and Mathematics parts were not interesting, any person knows a little mathematics can say that mathematics is not just about prime numbers and Fibonacci series or one-two probability problem.Whole movie shows mathematicians always with problems but love solve every problem is not very believable since we never get to see break and return points in the movie and have to accept things just happened. Over all I can't say movie is brilliant as its name.

Formulaic - Ordinary rom-com about people with limited social skills!

[wotsonurmind · 5/10 · 2 September 2015]

It started well, but too formulaic for my liking, with all the clichés possible to elicit sympathy from the audience.

There's very little maths or for anyone interested in a peek into that world.This is almost a rom-com of awkward people with all possible derivative ideas.Sad ,really since there are too many,way too many romcoms about people with social skills but this was an opportunity to do something a little more ambitious.

Its not even the usual British Oscar bait - British films which are clearly made only to get an Oscar Nomination- and hope for some DVD sales and publicity thereon.It is too lightweight for even that!

A waste of time as there are far, far better romcoms about people with limited social skills. Brilliant minds? Forget about it - there's nothing brilliant - just an average lazy,Sunday afternoon TV bait!