UNIVERSITY OF THE EAST – MANILA

Movie Analysis in Clinical Psychology

Submitted by:
Santiago, Joanna Aila L.
BS7B

Submitted to:
Dr. Aida C. Legarteja, RPsy, RPm
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A Brilliant Young Mind within the Autism Spectrum (X + Y)

1. Summary

Nathan Ellis, a 9-year-old math prodigy, has just lost his father in a car accident. Nathan’s
intellectual gifts have led him down a path of social awkwardness, but strangely, his father was the
only one who was able to connect normally with him. Although Nathan values his mother, Julie, he
shuns any physical contact with her and treats her as more of a caretaker than a parent. Wanting to
make sure Nathan isn’t distracted from his studies, Julie enrolls him in advanced classes at a new
school. There, he comes under the guidance of teacher, Martin, also a math genius, who now suffers
from multiple sclerosis. Martin sees himself in Nathan, once a promising young mind in the field of
mathematics, who gave it all up once he was diagnosed with his illness. Seven years later, Martin is
preparing Nathan to compete for a spot in the International Mathematical Olympiad, a prestigious high
school competition consisting of the world’s best young mathematicians. This year, it is to be held at
Cambridge, after a two-week math camp in Taiwan where the students will study for the test that
determines the winners. Nathan fears he’s not good enough to qualify but ends up doing well enough
to accompany 15 other British teenagers to Taiwan. Suddenly drive out of his comfort zone, Nathan
finds himself no longer the smartest math whiz in the room, and his social anxieties nearly paralyze
his performance. He has trouble reading the social cues of others and starts at the slightest physical
contact with another person. Nathan is paired with female Chinese student, Zhang Mei, who slowly
helps him adjust to his new surroundings and helps him fight through his fears. By the skin of their
teeth, Nathan and Zhang make the cut to compete in Cambridge. Back in England, Zhang stays with
Nathan and his mom, who’s shocked to find that his behavior has transformed into something more
normal. She becomes aware that he may have feelings for Zhang, which she asked him. Not fully
understanding the concept of love, Nathan is unsure how to express his feelings. He keeps his emotions
bottled up as they all travel to Cambridge and settle in for the Olympiad. Things quickly unravel when
Zhang’s uncle catches her in Nathan’s room one morning and mistakenly accuses them of being in an
intimate relationship. This caused Zhang to withdraw from the competition and leave. Nathan, who
now believes he loves Zhang, is torn between her and the Olympiad. When he sits down among
hundreds of other students around the world for the exam, the first question triggers memories of his
dead father, which combined with his newly lost love, creates an emotional overload. At the peak
moment of his mathematical career, Nathan decided to give into the pain that’s haunted him for most
of his life.

2. The Character of Nathan Ellis:

Nathan is a Yorkshire-born teenage math genius who relishes patterns in all things, is
diagnosed as having a form of synaesthesia as well as registering on the autism spectrum who is
painfully shy, abhors physical contact of any kind and is obsessive about the placement of his food on
his dish, among other compulsions. After witnessing the death of his beloved father in a car crash as
a young child, his psychic hurdles developed, affecting not only himself but also his loving mother
Julie, who is burdened by her son, grieving for her late husband, and terribly alone. He has trouble
reading the social cues of others. He often struggles to connect with people, often pushing away those
who want to be closest to him, including his mother, Julie. He's relationship with his mother, however,
is more fraught, especially as he grows older. Next door to phobic about human contact, he refuses to
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hug her and, in an especially painful scene, even refuses to hold her hand. Without the ability to
understand love or affection, He finds the comfort and security he needs in numbers and mathematics.
Mentored by his unconventional and anarchic teacher, Mr. Humphreys, it becomes clear that Nathan’s
talents are enough to win him a place on the British team competing at the highly revered International
Mathematics Olympiad. But when the team go to train in Taiwan, Nathan is faced with a multitude of
unexpected challenges, not least the new and unfamiliar feelings he begins to experience for one of
the Chinese competitors, the beautiful Zhang Mei. Dropped into unfamiliar surroundings, and
confronted with unexpected challenges, Nathan’s logic is thwarted by the irrational nature of love.

3. Scene Analysis:

Nathan’s father was instrumental in his growth, but was tragically killed in a car accident with
Nathan in the car. Nathan’s father was Nathan’s main emotional support, since he believed his
introverted son’s fascination with primary numbers made him “special” rather than odd. Lacking that
support, and getting no similar comprehension from his eager-but-clueless mom Julie. The 9-year-old
Nathan was never able to reciprocate his mother’s emotions and affection, and became more secluded.
UNIVERSITY OF THE EAST – MANILA
 UNIVERSITY OF THE EAST – MANILA

4. What this movie means to me:

X + Y is the tale of a boy beginning to understand himself and those who love him, learning
to do things that are hard for him, and to hold onto the people he cares for the most. The movie is, for
many of us, a window into a world we may know nothing about. What's it like to be – or be close to
–someone on the autism spectrum? What's it like to have a gradually debilitating disease, or a drug
addiction? This film gracefully teaches us a little about mental and physical struggles, grief, and what
it means to be humans together, even when we don't always understand each other. And though the
movie features a glimpse of romance, including a peek at first love, it's not about that either. It's about
a family learning how to be a family – how important family and friends are when we are going
through trials. A story of a mother and son learning how to heal from their wounds, and to speak one
another's language. Nathan’s support network remained steadfast to help him through. Nathan’s mom
Julie found peace in letting go of things out of her control. This made her even more loving and
resilient. We all can use more empathy and patience with the people we love. If you want friends that
love you unconditionally, be a friend. Another thing that I won’t forget is use the talent you have. You
can tap into your gifts that make you unique. Everyone has talents, use what you have now no matter
how small. Being different has a certain beauty. We can see this in Nathan how he arranges his food,
room, his fascination with electric trains, and his obsession with prime numbers. Being self-accepting
allows us to become more accepting towards others and to see the beauty in everyone. Change the
way you perceive the world and see the wonder in all people. The film, although entertaining, gives
us hope when facing challenges.