When a person is discovered to have what is considered
above-average intelligence, there is a certain expectation that they will
fulfill their potential. Now, to a degree, this is understandable: Knowing how
many truly stupid people exist in the world, it really would be a shame if
someone with genuine intellect would just let it go to waste. But then, there’s
the side effects that that kind of expectation can have on the person in
question. I remember my last day of Year 10 excruciatingly well, as probably
one of the best and one of the worst
of my entire school career. Somehow, and I still don’t know how, I managed to
top the class in my English School Certificate. The next year, I was “heavily
advised” to go into the Advanced class, despite my best wishes. This would end
up culminating in my HSC two years later, which officially broke me because not
only was it clearly beyond my abilities, but that I was expected to pass it by
my teachers. Sure, hindsight is a miracle worker and let me understand that all
that work really doesn’t mean jack shit later on in life, but in a vacuum it is
a horrific experience. Keep that idea of the supposed responsibility to one’s
own intelligence as we get into today’s subject.
The plot: Nathan (Asa Butterfield) is a teenaged mathematics prodigy, whose main goal is to make it into the International Mathematics Olympiad. With the tutelage of former maths Olympian Martin (Rafe Spall) and the support of his mother Julie (Sally Hawkins), he makes it to a maths camp that will decide if he is one of the six to make it to the IMO. However, when confronted with others like him, he finds that he may not be ready for the social possibilities presented to him.
Asa Butterfield previously knocked the socks off of the
critical masses with his turn as the lead in Hugo, probably making for one of
the best showcases for child acting in recent memory. Thankfully, he hasn’t
lost an inch of his touch, as he portrays Nathan’s social disconnection and
confusion of the world around him expertly. Edward Baker-Close does a terrific
job as the younger Nathan, showing a real-life sense of naivety and freshly
learning about the world that would go on to confuse him later on in life. Rafe
Spall makes for a more rattled mentor role than is usually seen in what is
essentially a sports movie, balancing aloofness with a hint of tragedy
surprisingly well; good to see his experience with Edgar Wright hasn’t gone to
waste.
Detailing a teenager’s social inadequacies is hardly
anything new for the realms of coming-of-age cinema. However, what genuinely
impresses with this film is how honed-in it feels. I’ve seen how adults act
when they are trying to show that they approachable to run-of-the-mill teens,
let alone teens who have diagnosed on the spectrum. This doesn’t carry any of
that hokeyness nor feel like it’s aiming for what it can’t reach. Instead,
through Butterfield’s down-played performance coupled with the atmosphere
afforded him by the camera work, editing and score, we get a real sense of a
kid who doesn’t fit into social circles. The film ties a lot of the actions of
the characters into the idea of patterns and recurrence, beyond just the realm
of mathematics, and how people feel most comfortable when they established
their own. Through Nathan, we see the comfort he takes in solving mathematical
equations, and through Martin, we get something more self-destructive in a
downward spiral with his lack of self-worth and dependency on pharmaceuticals.
We also see how changes in said patterns can affect people who operate so
heavily on routine, like those on the spectrum. Whether it’s seemingly minor
changes, like flying overseas for the first time, or drastically major ones,
like the loss of his father, it is a palpable feeling even for those who can’t
exactly connect with it.
However, the big surprise of the whole production comes
about in the form of one of the side characters, that being Luke Shelton played
by Jake Davies. Now, from his first handful of scenes, he is shown as even more
socially awkward than most others, coming across as cold and inflexible and, if
I’m being honest, a bit of a prick. Really, he kept making me think of the
almost inhuman socialising Sheldon from TBBT would partake in, and God knows
that reminding me of that isn’t going
to help anyone. Then, through a single scene involving him watching an old
Monty Python skit on a computer, there is a total paradigm shift. Being
considered clever brings with it a lot
of pressure to fulfil what is considered to be your obligation to use your
cleverness in schooling. Of course, there’s the fact that we are social
creatures and, regardless of how we may come across, every one of us needs
interaction with other people. If given the chance, I’m willing to bet that
most people would give every bit of intellect they have, if only it meant that
they could get along better with others. Hell, just because they’re in a room
with people that are like them with similar interests, that doesn’t change the
fact that that crippling shyness is still present.
What I’m getting at with all this is that, with how Luke is
portrayed as trying to connect with the other mathletes, it should be
reluctantly relatable for the more introverted audiences out there. Hell, given
how much I’ve been cramming my days full of films to review over the last few
weeks, that feeling of trying (and failing) to connect with people on terms
that you feel most comfortable with really hits home. Through how he reacts to
the pressure of not only succeeding academically, but also in the social
sphere, Luke actually becomes the best character in the film; it’s undeniably
tragic how badly he wants to fit in but, from all outward appearances, he seems
to just hate everyone.
All in all, this is a deeply resonating emotional drama
about the pressures that society places on people to use their God-given
intellect and the attitudes that result from it. The acting is great,
particularly from Butterfield and Davies and the writing portrays social
anxiety brilliantly, balancing out the characters’ evident smarts with their
lack of knowledge about interacting with others. This probably ranks higher
with me because I still remember going through similar situations myself from a
few years back, but that doesn’t negate how well executed the production is as
a whole.
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