X+Y (2015): Trailer Analysis

The trailer begins with a medium shot of a teacher and a young boy sat on a bench. This begins the equilibrium phase of the trailer. The young boy is shown to grow up and is seen as strange and people treat him differently. There are lots of close-ups of him as a teenagers which cut back and forth to him as a child. This shows the boy's life to the audience and makes them empathise with his story. It also suggests that he is the main character in the film. The music is hopeful throughout, making the audience feel calm and relaxed watching the trailer. They are later shown that the boy is autistic and that he is unbelievably clever.

The disruption begins when the boy gets a place on the United Kingdom Maths Squad and is able to show people who he is. He finally begins to see that he is special in the recognition phase, where he is in Taiwan and sees that his gift is celebrated and that no one is bringing him down about it, like people have done his whole life. The traumatic right-angled shot of the car crash from the child's perspective also pulls at the audiences heart strings as it explains how tough their lives have been. The music at this point is emotional and adds to the effect on the audience. 

During the repair phase, he puts his all into his learning and into being who he is. He is shown to have opened up with the help of his teacher, his mother and the girl he meets in Taiwan. These are the only characters the audience meets in any detail and it encouraged them to want to see what happens to them all in the end. The music here gets louder and more encouraging and makes the audience hope for everything to work out. At the end, it says "I will slip you some of the answers". This hints at the comedic nature of the film in addition to the dramatic nature already established in the trailer. 

The film is unique as it explores autism in a positive but accurate way. It also explores the effects of traumatic experiences later on in a person's life. These unique features make the audience want to go and see the film as it makes them empathise with the story and want to see how it ends. 

The audience are left asking many questions which will also entice them to go and see the film. For example, does he get into university, does he do something extraordinary with his life and what happens between him and the girl from Taiwan. These enigmas entice the audience as watching the film will give them the answers they are looking for and show them what happens in the end.