A Brilliant Young Mind (2014)

The film is novel-rich, so bristling with life that you might not notice how familiar it is in its contours.

The film’s magic is how it slips the skin of sappy and mendacious formula, stepping away from cliché scene by scene, and in quietly revelatory ways.

As filmmaking, X+Y is unassuming and not entirely remarkable, but the relationships play so sweetly and memorably.

With A+ acting, a solid script and sensitive handling, there’s enough here to move even the hardest of souls.

Matthews’ background as a documentarian is obvious and beneficial. But Matthews also demonstrates expertise as a director of actors, getting creditable performances across the board.