X + Y may be a film that plays around with familiar elements, but it is also a film where a lot of these elements make a lot more sense than any film it might be compared to, due to its very understanding nature and sensibility in portraying its characters, their vulnetabilities, their interactions and their own viewpoints in love as well as the way in which love inevitably affects their lives. In fact, despite the fact that the central character of Nathan is the leading focus in the narrative, viewpoint is extremely important in this vision - in some exciting stylised sequences, we are even allowed an insight on Nathan's mindset and thought processing. But mostly, this means that we also discover a lot about the supporting characters and their relationship to love - those that don't understand it, those that long for it, those that are afraid of not being able to experience it.
It is also important to note that while the juxtaposition of scientific subjects and love has been somewhat of a cinematic obsession in recent times, due to the contrasting nature of both parties one formulaic and logic the other free and mostly illogical, there is an even greater attention and feeling of genuineness in X + Y. This is certainly because of the afore mentioned attention to character development, which enrichens the impact of its dramatic themes, but also because of the genuineness of the portrayal of the very particular and fascinating world which it portrayals. The International Mathematics Olympiads were something Matthews had already dealt with in his documentary Beautiful Young Minds, and had most likely inspired him to the extent of making this story his narrative feature directorial debut.
There is faithfulness, competence and knowledge, but despite the odd stylisation, the visual approach remains down to Earth and even realistic. This in turn allows the great cast to embody their roles and allows the performances to shine. Asa Butterfield as Nathan is particularly impressive in the quite difficult role of the teen, a role which also required a certain collected level of physicality as well as a tastefully restrained performance that would stay true to the complicated syndrome of his character. It is also because of him that the story is always believable.
