One week to learn Icelandic. One brain wired like no other. No pressure.
Daniel Tammet has autism. He is also a savant. He can perform mind-boggling mathematical calculations at breakneck speeds. But unlike other savants, who can perform similar feats, Tammet can describe how he does it. He speaks seven languages and is even devising his own language. Now scientists are asking whether his exceptional abilities are the key to unlock the secrets of autism. This documentary follows Daniel as he travels to America to meet the scientists who are convinced he may hold the key to unlocking similar abilities in everyone. He is challenged to learn Icelandic, one of the world’s hardest languages, in just one week. Will Daniel do it? And what can we learn from this prodigious talent?
Acting
Daniel's unguarded, fascinating self-documentation
Direction
Weitz lets the subject breathe, no sensationalism
Editing
Crisp 60 minutes, zero fat
Director
Martin Weitz
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Daniel later broke the European record for reciting pi to 22,514 digits. This documentary captures him before that fame, still figuring out if his brain is gift or specimen.
The film quietly predicted the 2010s neurodiversity movement—scientists here are still asking 'can we cure this' while Daniel's just vibing in seven languages.
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