Documentarian Morgan Matthews” feature debut “X+Y” played quietly at the 2014 Toronto Film Festival. The voters involved with this year”s British Independent Film Awards are clearly noticing something fest-goers overlooked. Based on Matthews” own BBC documentary “Beautiful Young Minds,” which followed the selection process and training of Britain's 2006 International Mathematical Olympiad team, “X+Y” stars “Hugo” and “Ender”s Game” actor Asa Butterfield as a young math whiz coping with his emotionally and logistically complex mind. The first trailer for the film plays like a mix between “A Beautiful Mind” and Mark Haddon”s novel “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” meaning the BIFA”s may not be the only ones prone to falling for it.
Adding a bit of gravitas to the uplifting young adult story are Eddie Marsan, Rafe Spall, and the Academy Award-nominated Sally Hawkins, one of the most genuine actresses gracing screens today (potentially controversial opinion: she was even better than Cate Blanchett in last year”s “Blue Jasmine”). While “X+Y” didn”t crack the BIFA Best Independent Feature category along with fellow genius drama “The Imitation Game,” it didn”t garner a slew of nominations, including nods to Butterfield, Hawkins, Spall, and Matthews, in the Best Debut Director category.
“X+Y” is set for a UK release on March 13, 2015. A stateside release is still a question mark.
Check out the first look at the film below.