The World's Cleverest Child and Me
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The World's Cleverest Child and Me

2009, Society  -   1 Comment
6.70
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Ratings: 6.70/10 from 37 users.

Can a child prodigy lead a normal life? Are their supreme gifts primarily the product of nature or nurture? This is the thesis behind The World's Cleverest Child and Me, a cheerfully entertaining documentary from Channel 4.

Guided by affable reporter Mark Dolan, our journey begins in Seattle. That's where 10-year old Adora Svitak has successfully built her own literary empire. She's written hundreds of short stories, reads two or three novels each day, and teaches literature around the world. We see her pitching her skills and services to Microsoft in the boardroom, teaching students from a streaming video studio in her basement, signing books for her global family of fans, and conducting an acclaimed speech during the TED Talks forum.

Possessing a superior intellect for any age, and juggling a packed schedule that would prove damagingly stressful for most, Adora handles her notoriety with tremendous grace and calm. Her parents are wholly supportive, but not overly intrusive. Overall, her activities seem entirely driven by a pure love for learning and sharing the written word.

In Kuala Lumpur, 9-year old Adi Putra is touted as a mathematical genius and the world's youngest business magnet. He's revived ancient mathematical formulas, and invented more than a few equations of his own. He's also the face behind a brand of pills that claims to boost brain power. Unlike Aodra, Adi's entourage includes not his parents, but an agent and a special assistant. Seemingly shy and withdrawn, his mathematical skills are undeniably impressive, though it's difficult to determine to what extent the business is the sole result of his own ambitions.

In nearby Singapore, 8-year old world memory champion and chemistry master Ainan Celeste Cawley. We witness him in the process of setting a new world record as he recalls a string of more than 500 random numbers with stunning speed and precision. Through it all, he seems to take his extraordinary accomplishments in stride. In fact, his father seems to crave and savor the fruits of his labor more than Ainan himself.

The three children profiled in The World's Cleverest Child and Me possess awe-inspiring gifts. The real revelations in the film, however, lie in the examination of the parental forces at play behind each of them.

Directed by: Alicia Kerr

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Matthew
Matthew
7 years ago

Nice attempt but not really sure what the "me" part of this was for, apart from maybe fill up a good two minutes at the start explaining what he was doing over shots of him packing a suitcase. If the maker had some sort of connection to the subject matter then maybe including "me" in the proceeding would have made sense, but he didn't. The actual subject matter of the document was interesting enough and I thought he did a good job of show each of the kids without it seeming too much like they were showing off to camera. There was a good point made that exceptional kids don't necessarily end up exceptional adults but this wasn't explored much at all apart from in one of the parents who was himself once a child prodigy. Although how and when it all turned normal for him and how it felt about that wasn't discussed. For the maker, this guy's childhood past was just motivation for why he pushed his son hard now. This is hardly groundbreaking; parents living vicariously through their children.

If you want a truly interesting documentary that picks apart what it is to be a child prodigy then I recommend "Akrit Jaswal: The Seven Year Old Surgeon".