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In one of her finest performances, Maggie Gyllenhaal plays New York kindergarten teacher Lisa Spinelli who becomes obsessed with a student whom she believes is a child prodigy. When five-year-old Jimmy starts spouting wonderful poetry, Lisa takes it upon herself to cultivate his extraordinary gift. The task gives her purpose, and an escape from her mundane life. She road-tests his utterances at her poetry reading – but as her own work – catching the interest of her teacher (Gael García Bernal). Her motives are pure but she takes her mission way too far and it ends up driving her down a shocking, all-consuming path. Who knew poetry could fuel such a compelling thriller, lit by comedy and psychological complexity.