‘Gifted’ Is a Raw and Vulnerable Exploration of Family Dynamics

Monet Clayton

The new film “Gifted” focuses on our love for brilliant and sassy kids, as well as our disdain for overbearing parents. The film at its core is about the moral exploration of the challenges of parenting. It primarily begs the question, what should a parent want for a child? The audiences see the storyline unfold as we center on two main characters who are competing to answer that question.

Chris Evans delightfully surprises the audience in a raw and vulnerable role where he plays Frank, the son of an overbearing mother. When his sister passes away, he kindly assumes the role of parenting Mary (McKenna Grace), the brilliant-yet-sassy 7-year old prodigy who is trying to follow in her mother’s mathematician footsteps. Mary is wise beyond her years and has the unique ability to solve extremely differential equations in milliseconds when other kids in her class are struggling just to do simple additions. This creates conflict as Frank is doing the best he can to try and give Mary a normal life. He doesn’t want Mary deemed as “special” and balks when given the opportunity to send her to a special school designated for advanced students. The plot thickens when his upper-crust and overbearing mother Evelyn (Lindsay Duncan) tries to step into the picture for Mary. The conflict escalates to court and turns into a legal battle between the two to ultimately decide what’s in the child’s best interests.

The heartwarming parts of this film have to do with the unwavering bond Frank and Mary have. The amount of love he has for her is palpable throughout the course of the movie, which becomes a tear-jerker as the audience sees him struggle to maintain custody and try to do what he honestly thinks is best for her. The director, Marc Webb (“500 Days of Summer”), does a phenomenal job of creating a storyline that gives an honest depiction of how hard it is to be a parent. In this scenario, can a gifted child excel academically and have a normal life with friends and playtime in our competitive world? No matter how one answers the question, this movie is a beautiful ride and gives us a friendly reminder of the importance of love and unselfishness in family dynamics.

“Gifted“ opens in theaters on April 7.