20 Secret Movie Sub-Plots You Didn't Notice

There are a lot of moving parts, character-wise, in Gus Van Sant's deeply felt drama Good Will Hunting. 

This is a film in which everyone is bogged down by who they want to be and who they once were, from Will Hunting himself (Matt Damon) coming to terms with his place in the world, to his therapist (Robin Williams) and his grief over his wife's passing. 

One of the film's most overlooked characters, though, is almost as compelling as those around him despite limited screentime and focus. Played by real-life mathematician John Mighton, Tom is the right-hand protégé of Stellan Skarsgard's math professor, who seems to set him aside after he meets Will and becomes acquainted with his unique gift for numbers. 

At first meeting, Tom is a superstar in Skarsgard's eyes, but his skills pale in comparison to Will's, and you can see the pair drifting away. It's never spoken out loud, but Tom's desire to do his mentor proud would honestly make a great little movie in its own right, rather than an almost silent subplot.