X+Y (2015)

Truly Dreadful Film

Excellent but underrated film

It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

I randomly selected this film to watch and as i started to watch it, i gone into flow. Impressed with the actors work. Although somewhere the connection drops but it again makes strong connection. Beautiful way to show inner conflicts on the screen. Transformation is average. Overall this film is a good cinematic entertainment. As a film maker me also like to work on conflicts and temptations, so these kind of films are treat to me.

It's a film about a teenage boy who's not quite like everyone else, I believe autism was the diagnosis he was given.He does not communicate very well but is beyond smart, I am not a very good communicator myself so I can most definitely relate to that and there are some scenes that get genuinely emotional for me (and anyone else I imagine with half a heart).Perhaps I'd wish for a more complete ending but maybe that would been a little too Hollywoodesque and this is after all a movie that is very much rooted in reality so it made sense I suppose to end it the way they did.7.5/10.

X+Y is quite simply a beautiful film. First time director Morgan Matthews focuses on a child growing up with difficulties. Asa Butterfield's mathematics expert Nathan goes through troubles no kid should. His autism is touched upon often, but regardless of it, Nathan's story main stance is childhood issues. Being accepted is one, talking to girls is the other. What's so majestic about X+Y is how it encompasses the lives of those close to Nathan, especially his mother, Sally Hawkins, and mentor Rafe Spall, who suffers with multiple sclerosis. Both are superb, as is Asa Butterfield. It's a such a relief that X+Y follows its own path and not the outcome I expected of it.

This film twisted and turned my emotions in so many ways. It's so simple in it's execution yet extremely heavy in all the themes it presents. All the characters have their own hardships that they must try to overcome however difficult it may be for them and they're all searching for that one silver lining that can carry them through. The acting is incredible from everyone, no matter how much screen time they had, and they all left some sort of lasting effect on the film.I wasn't Asa Butterfield's biggest fan but he's completely changed my mind with this performance; he was perfect. Such minimal dialogue yet so much to say through his body language and expressions. He perfectly captured the behaviour and mindset of a socially inept individual in a world of his own who's still mourning the loss of his Dad, the one person in his life who understood how to communicate with him and make him feel less of an outsider than he always felt. Such a tender and moving turn and I loved his relationship with Zhang Mei (Jo Yang), who was also terrific and a ray of sunshine.Eddie Marsan continues to show his infinite versatility. I had no idea what sort of character he'd be playing but I knew he'd be fantastic as always. He brought the most laughs out of the film and reminded me of a few teachers I came across during my time living in England. Rafe Spall and Sally Hawkins though.....just wow. I could write pages and pages of their performances but I'll just say that Hawkins work in Happy-Go-Lucky (which I consider one of the best of the decade gone by) finally has a worthy rival and Spall's obvious ability has been unlocked to full potential here. Hawkins is the true emotional anchor to this film; a mother/widow who's loneliness can be felt with great force as she deals with her Husband's death but also longs for the same sort of affection from Nathan that he had with his Dad. Having difficulty connecting to her son, she turns to his Math teacher, Martin Humphreys (Rafe Spall) hoping he would be that person who could plug that hole of vast emptiness. But Humphreys has his own issues, carrying a crippling disease known as Multiple sclerosis, and he can't live the life he wants to anymore because of it. Spall skillfully creates a multi-dimensional character, ranging from a cocky, jester and virile individual to one who, underneath it all, is petrified about the future that awaits him. Amongst this hugely talented cast however, one must give a special mention to young newcomer Jake Davies who steals every scene he's given. He's the sort of person that, if you met him in real life and didn't know what he was going through, would be easy to hate -- but he may have been the most troubled one of them all. The only existence that was keeping his head above the water was mathematics; it kept his brain from thinking about the things he didn't want to think about, the things that unhinged him. So he had that incessant nature about him in that he had no choice but to try and perfect this one aspect that had taken ahold of his life. Making friends was almost impossible due to his abrasive personality, but it was something he couldn't control. When he ultimately fails doing the thing he only knew how to do and loved, it's a heartbreaking meltdown. There's a sequence where he recites the famous 'Parrot Sketch' from 'Monty Python's Flying Circus' and it's acted with great tenacity, but he saves the best for last in a devastating outpouring and heart to heart with Nathan. I hope to see more of his work in the coming future because he was simply brilliant.It's a shame this film got such limited buzz; it's one of those rare, beautifully crafted pieces of work that comes by and bowls you over. A story that is essentially about people looking for the answer to life itself, one formula that even the greatest mathematicians may never solve.