Director: Marc Webb

Starring: Chris Evans, Mckenna Grace, Octavia Spencer, Jenny Slate, Lindsay Duncan

Awards: Critics Choice Nominee (2018) – Best Young Actor/Actress

Frank Adler (Chris Evans) is a single man raising a child prodigy – his spirited niece, seven year old maths whizz, Mary (Mckenna Grace). Having been home-schooled her whole life, her only friends are a one eyed cat called Fred and their motherly neighbour, Roberta (Octavia Spencer). Worried about her lack of a normal childhood, Frank decides to send Mary to school so she can make friends her own age.

Between her precocious attitude in class, her passion for justice and her ability to solve complex maths problems, she quickly garners the attention of the principle (Elizabeth Marvel) who uses her connections to offer Mary a place in a school much more suited to support her talents. However, when Frank refuses the offer, insisting a public school with children her own age is the best place for Mary, he winds up getting pulled into a custody case with his mother, Evelyn (Lindsay Duncan).

With several different opinions on how Mary’s future, and talents, should be managed, the real question is what, and who, is best for Mary?

Let me start by saying that the film is beautifully shot. The decision to follow a backlit shot of Mary building sandcastles on the beach with a conversation about God and Faith is nothing short of genius, perfectly balancing Mary the Child with Mary the Intellect.

Yes, there are a few scenes that overplay their hand at times, the maternity ward scene in particular but if, like me, you don’t mind a few sickly sweet elements then this is a film that will pull at your heartstrings and bring a tear to your eye.

Whilst Octavia Spencer’s Roberta didn’t do much to move the story forward, she did serve the purpose of showing the fun, childlike side to Mary. Lindsay Duncan was brusque and ‘British’, giving a rather steely performance throughout that made the tiny chink we see in her armour all the more poignant. Jenny Slate turn as Mary’s kind teacher, Bonnie, added a sense of normality to the film as a whole, and the onscreen chemistry with Evans was tangible – even sparking a real life romance between the two.

For those of you who can only envision Chris Evans as a superhero, then prepare yourselves for a pleasant surprise as he gives a compelling and layered performance, that quite quickly became one of my favourites of his. He excels in a film that is a much slower pace than his usual action-packed endeavours and I would love to see him in more like this, he handles the melodrama very well.

For me, the element that stops this film from being a little meh, is the dynamic performance of McKenna Grace. Yes, she is sassy, sarcastic and has the somewhat superior attitude of someone who knows they’re the smartest one in the room but she is also kind, caring and thoughtful. She stands up to bullies and has the ability to recognise and celebrate someone else’s hard work and a well placed ‘Good Morning, Miss Stevenson’ indicates a wicked sense of humour.

I’ve seen her in a few things now, and she has impressed me every time At only thirteen years old she has got a long career ahead of her, and I’m excited to see what her future holds.

Overall, this film is not wholly about one side playing against the other, everyone genuinely feels as though they have Mary’s best interests at heart, potentially unaware that they carry their own agendas. Whilst the overall premise may have been done many times before, the simplicity of the story and the great acting, especially from young Mckenna Grace, makes Gifted feel fresh and exciting.

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