Also titled A Brilliant Young Mind. An autistic teenage math whiz (Asa Butterfield) faces new challenges when he’s asked to join Britain’s team at the International Mathematics Olympiad. You’re thinking another “inspirational” movie with a Big Suspenseful Competition at the end. Refreshingly, no. He’s got the math down. It’s all that thorny human interaction he has to deal with that makes what could have played like a case study such a warm experience. In each scene, the film adroitly sidesteps clichés you think you see coming. I like that. Great cast includes Rafe Spall, Sally Hawkins and Eddie Marsan. (111 min)
Don Morton
Don Morton has viewed some 6,000 movies, frequently awake. A bachelor and avid cyclist, he currently divides his time between Tokyo and a high-tech 4WD super-camper somewhere in North America.You may also like
Senju’s Traditional Coffee Shop Rikyu
Nibble on yokan jelly or sip freshly-brewed coffee in an antique cup
Japan Drugstore Guide: Best Heartburn Relief Medicine in Japan
Your go-to guide for effective heartburn remedies in Japan
Tokyo Stands in Solidarity to Support Palestine
How Tokyo Activists Unite for Palestinian Rights
What’s Happening in Tokyo This June?
Spring festivals, fireworks and more!
Shuna’s Journey: Miyazaki’s Forgotten Masterwork
The 1983 illustrated story that helped shape Miyazaki’s later films
Rossi at Aoyama Grand Hotel
Tokyo’s new authentic Italian trattoria
Japanese Creation Myths Born from Water
Japan’s oldest stories are told in water