X+Y

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.

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.

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.

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.

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)