A teenage maths prodigy with Aspergers, Nathan (Asa Butterfield) develops a budding friendship with Jo Yang (Zhang Mei) while competing at International Mathematics Olympiad.
My sister recommended this movie to me, and it was only back in October that I finally got round to watching it. Asa Butterfield is a so-so actor in my opinion. This film could have fallen foul of being a trite effort, but I was pleasantly surprised.
All of the actors did well in their performances. Apart from Butterfield, Martin McCann (My Boy Jack) as Nathan’s father was a small but understated role. However, Butterfield shone brightest of all.
It’s not my place to dissect the representation of autism in cinema, but here it manages to avoid the cliches and as a result Nathan is not a character to be sidelined and pitied. Jake Davies as Luke (one of the other entrants in the maths Olympiad) was brilliant as well. His performance was so moving and in a way it helped me as a viewer to understand the feelings of friends who are on the autism spectrum. In the same way, Alex Lawther as Isaac shows he is one to watch in the future.
I think if I sat here and sang the praises of everyone in this review I would be here until Christmas. However, it was a brilliant drama. I think I’ll just leave it there. I hope Butterfield and the others continue to achieve every success in their respective careers.
MY RATING: **** / *****
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