X + Y
A Brilliant Young Mind
Director Morgan Matthews
Cert 12A, 111 mins
Nathan is an autistic and mathematically gifted teenager, who is selected to represent the UK in an international maths competition. The film flashes back to his childhood and we see the psychologist talking to him under a table; we see also his eager but concerned parents.
Nathan’s growing years, in what becomes a one-parent family, present huge challenges both to him and to his loving, long-suffering and lonely mother (played by the always excellent Sally Hawkins). The story is told through her eyes as well as Nathan’s and both of them in different ways are painfully aware of their ineptitude. Also in the mix is Martin (played by Rafe Spall), the disillusioned, cynical and chronically-sick teacher who helps and encourages Nathan.
