Brilliant Young Mind(S) on the IMO with AS

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I am surprised that no one has mentioned of discussed the following. Thus I am starting a new topic to which I hope some take notice and some add the discussion.



By mere coincidence, a New York Times magazine profiled professor Terrance Tao (http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/26/magaz ... y-tao.html), who I had for graduate Real Analysis, went with my recent viewing of the movie “x+y” aka “Brilliant Young Mind” (imdb url http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3149038) which is a dramatization of a teen having Asperger’s Syndrome making a go at being on the British IMO (International Math Olympiad) team.

The only connexion is the topic of math and Tao having been a participant in the IMO.




The movie “x+y” is a cinematic adaptation focusing upon one of the people from the British documentary profiling a few young people (age < 19 years old) who are noted as having AS.
"Beautiful Young Minds"
• IMDB link (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1135004/)
• Wikipedia entry on film (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beautiful_Young_Minds)
• BBC link (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0084b18)
• online viewing via YouTube (in six parts) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTDcYi_uG08)

There is a scene in which the noted Dr. Simon Baron-Cohen gives a diagnosis of AS to one of the profiled persons.

After second viewing, I think still the documentary is poorly constructed (film's subject of focus shifts and is ill-defined) but does at least showcase, if I may, the spectrum within a spectrum, range of the personalities of those who have or demonstrate AS characteristics.

Just some questions that come immediately to mind:
• Does the documentary show a(n) (un)flattering image of people with AS?
• There seems to be the suggestion, according to the documentary, that people with AS are prone to excel in disciplines that involve venturing into abstract worlds, to isolate one's mind from the rest of the world. Is this necessarily true?
• Care to speculate on where they may be in ten, twenty years from today?
• Suppose you are given the chance to talk one-on-one with each, what advice would you give?
• Comments on the gender gap?
• Are they, and by extension, those similar, suffering from alienation? Are they and similar only able to find acceptance among field specific-peers or family? (By "field specific", I am restricting the possible peer group to those who share specific interests or workplace environment, i.e. math students among math students. I do hope that is clear.)
• For those with AS, especially males, is there a better chance of finding and securing an intimate relationship if travelled or found some one from abroad? Or, at least, the documentary gives hope to single AS people?


For further viewing, it is interesting to note the contrast from the American perspective upon the exact same event. "Hard Problems" documents the American team.
• "Hard Problems" documentary web site (http://hardproblemsmovie.com)
• YouTube trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9ZDgjzNeBU)
• (Not accessible for online viewing, but available via alternative means. I have a copy in case anyone is interested.)

Day One (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tpDqliD6Ss)

There are several points of interest to compare and contrast.
• stylistic production of American editing is a tighter focus upon a clearly defined subject
• Open question: may we view anyone as having AS on the American side? More interesting (to me, at least) why or why not?
• Is there evidence of similar alienation or acceptance of the people who make up either teams?

I liked the documentary. The movie was not as good as the documentary.

One thing I hated about the movie was how they made the actor that played Luke constantly quote Jos. It was very annoying.

Also, this has been discussed quite a lot actually you probably missed the discussions on this.