X + Y Review

X + Y
Maths prodigy (Asa Butterfield) is coping with the loss of his father and the challenges of being on the spectrum but finds companionship and support when selected for the British team of the International Maths Olympiad.

by Will Lawrence |
Published on
Release Date:

13 Mar 2015

Running Time:

111 minutes

Certificate:

12A

Original Title:

X + Y

It’s a familiar formula in which the conclusion is apparent before all the figures are tallied yet Morgan Matthews’ feature debut adds up to a satisfying whole. Taking cues from his ’07 doc Beautiful Young Minds, Matthews casts Asa Butterfield as a maths prodigy who is on the autistic spectrum, and struggling with his dad’s death.

Butterfield carries the movie with a cool detachment, displaying a youthful callousness towards his mum (Sally Hawkins) and another autistic student (Jake Davies), until love blossoms with a fellow maths whizz (Jo Yang) who coaxes him out of his shell.

Familiar formula yet Morgan Matthews’ feature debut adds up to a satisfying whole
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