X+Y

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.

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.

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.

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