A Brilliant Young Mind (2014)

A socially awkward teenage math prodigy finds new confidence and new friendships when he lands a spot on the British squad at the International Mathematics Olympiad.

Director:

Morgan Matthews

Writer:

James Graham

Stars:

Asa Butterfield, Rafe Spall, Sally Hawkins

4 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Asa Butterfield	...	Nathan Ellis
Rafe Spall	...	Martin Humphreys
Sally Hawkins	...	Julie Ellis
Eddie Marsan	...	Richard
Jo Yang	...	Zhang Mei
Martin McCann	...	Michael Ellis
Jake Davies	...	Luke Shelton
Alex Lawther	...	Isaac Cooper
Alexa Davies	...	Rebecca Dunn
Orion Lee	...	Deng Laoshi
Edward Baker-Close	...	Nathan Ellis (9 yrs)
Percelle Ascott	...	Ben Morgan
Suraj Rattu	...	Pav Kamdar
Jamie Ballard	...	Headmaster
Clare Burt	...	Doctor

Storyline

In a world difficult to comprehend, Nathan struggles to connect with those around him - most of all his loving mother - but finds comfort in numbers. When Nathan is taken under the wing of unconventional and anarchic teacher, Mr. Humphreys, the pair forge an unusual friendship and Nathan's talents win him a place on the UK team at the International Mathematics Olympiad. From suburban England to bustling Taipei and back again, Nathan builds complex relationships as he is confronted by the irrational nature of love.

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Plot Keywords:

mathematics | mother son relationship | loss of father | autism | teacher student relationship | 

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Taglines:

Is there a formula for love?

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

N: Rated PG-13 for some strong language, a sexual reference, drug material and disturbing images

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 September 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Brilliant Young Mind

Filming Locations:

Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$31,408, 13 September 2015, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$139,511, 4 October 2015

Company Credits

Production Co:

BBC Films, British Film Institute (BFI), Head Gear Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the filming locations was King Edward VII Upper School in Sheffield.

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Goofs

The announcer at the IMO says "Welcome to the 59th IMO". This will in fact take place in 2018.

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Quotes

Julie: When somebody says they love you it means they see something in you they think is worth something... It adds value to you.

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Connections

References Beautiful Young Minds (2007)

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Soundtracks

Elevator Song
Written and performed by Keaton Henson
Published by Copyright Control
Licensed courtesy of Keaton Henson

User Reviews

The Awkardness of Life

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.