Gifted might be about a math child prodigy, but it’s also the ‘perfect equation’ to fill your empty heart. It’s this spring’s must-see necessary family film.
This is the story of Frank Adler (Chris Evans) a single man raising his niece, seven-year-old, Mary (McKenna Grace) after her mother’s suicide. Frank’s neighbor, Roberta (Octavia Spencer) always knew this day would come, and Mary’s ‘gift’ would be exposed to the world. Roberta also knew that one day Mary’s biological grandmother (Lindsay Duncan) might show up on Frank’s doorstep to try and take her away. Today is that day.
Young Mary’s deceased mother was herself part victim/part gifted of the Trachtenberg system of rapid mental calculation. Apparently, the DNA passed on. While Mary is just a kid who needs the social interaction of other kids, she’s beyond the Howard School’s daily curriculum of 2 + 2 = 4. She’s already figured out that 57 + 135 = 192. Without a calculator.
When Mary’s grandmother delivers the child to MIT for testing, young Mary’s ‘Einstein-esque’ skills come to fruition. The child solves a problem that mathematicians have worked their entire lives to prove. Or in other words her answer to the problem is QED – a physics term for ‘quite easily done.’
But, Gifted also peels back the layers to many fascinating plot points…
There’s the battle between Frank and his mother (the child’s grandmother) for custody. There’s a cultural struggle: Frank is a simple Floridian (with a past) while his mother is an upper-crust Brit complete with proper tea and lip service. There’s the fact that Frank wants his niece to grow up to just be a decent human being, while her grandmother wants the child to grow up to be the next Steven Hawking. But most of all, there’s the torn emotions…what’s in the child’s best interest?
The audience is left as judge and jury, plaintiff and defendant. What’s more important…being wanted or being smart? Should one be accountable for the very gifts they are given?
But, if you’re expecting some exhausting courtroom drama, forget about it. In a world where films are political statements longing for cultural recognition, this simple tale delivers a big message and leaves us highly entertained.
The audience for this film is everybody’s audience. From the pet loving/animal shelter heroes (the film features a lovable one-eyed cat named ‘Fred’) to teachers (who see the classroom struggles of families) to families (who endure so much in the name of sacrifice).
Gifted tip toes us from melancholy to tears, from satire with a heart, to satire with a poke. And in the end, adds up to one beautiful equation. Gifted fills an empty spot in our hearts. 4 tiaras