You are a seven-year-old who knows nothing about adult life, but smart enough to realize it before anyone in your age group. Moreover, you’re gifted, intelligent and not every school is capable to provide you a proper scholarship. But what if one day that one little thing that you have – a childhood gets in danger? What if one day you will be imprisoned inside of your mind, until the time you achieve everything… and there you go… You’e left with nothing but with emptiness of life?
Mary is a seven-year-old girl who lives with her caring uncle, Frank. Frank is a nice man who tries to provide everything Mary needs in order to fulfil her life. He also wants her to have a life Mary’s mother, his sister Diane Adler never had. While all these opportunities come to Mary, the appearance of her grandmother turns everything upside down. Now, the woman attempts to take the child away from her uncle, her own son… to give a life to her grandchild… the one which Diane had… But as you learn, Diane did not die of any cruel disease… she simply took her own life…
Right from the beginning, you find Frank having a gentle, careful, but adult-like discussion with Mary, while he was preparing her for the first day in school. Minutes later, you will find out why Frank was so attentive to her. In the class, Mary quickly showcases her abilities in math and analytical skills. But she also does not act like a child when she expresses her desire not to attend a school where math is taught at a level she finds too ridiculously easy. Her teacher Bonne and Principal had to witness that, but instead expelling her, they propose to Frank to take her to another school where she can fully concentrate on her gift in math.
As the story unfolds, Frank, through his conversation with Bonnie and at the court, reveals about himself some interesting facts. In fact, it was not only his sister in the family who was gifted, but him as well… in philosophy and teaching. Diane Addler, who we never see alive, but through pictures, shows an insight of her, her relationship with her mother and why she believed Frank would have been an excellent father-like uncle to Mary.
Gifted is an unusual movie with a heartwarming plot. It’s pretty accurate in terms of showing the gentle care a gifted child should get if parents don’t want to lose them at the peak of their age or career. The grandmother also does not appear as a complete villain. As you learn about her more, you realize her reasons to be so bossy. Yes, she made a mistake that caused at some point the life of her own daughter. But I guess, as a parent you’re never saved from making mistakes when it comes to building a prosperous future for a child.
In conclusion, it’s amazing to see Chris Evans growing outside of the Marvel World. Having some emotional scenes, he proves as a reliable dramatic actor, who with more hard work can easily remove himself from action scenes and move to more serious roles. Mary, as a troubled child due to her intelligence is mesmerizing. She might not be a new Dakota Fanning, but gets really close to that title. In the end, Gifted is absolutely charming movie on every level. It does not overload you with unnecessary dramatic scenes to manipulate the viewer, rather creates its own way to connect with the viewer through the special bonds of Frank and Mary.