The Specials

Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano are a guarantee of a powerful life story for me. The Intouchables and Samba are a clear proof of that. At the same time, they had one more job to do here – to prove that Vincent Cassel is not only an actor of villainous or inaccessible, but nevertheless ingenious roles, but also a kind person who can come across as likeable. To support this impression, there is a clip right in the beginning where Vincent thanks the Czech audience for coming to see his film to the theater. At that time it became clear that my relationship with Vincent had undergone an irrevocable change. The days when I perceived him as one of the greatest French actors of today, but at the same time as an annoying dick, were definitely over. The story of The Specials is just so powerful that you can’t dislike the characters. It’s just impossible. An incredibly powerful story, the introduction into the world of autism and people who want to help. And what’s more, they sacrifice their whole lives to this case. Even though it took me some time to understand what this film is about, in its second half I was experiencing true film pleasure, although mixed with sadness that there is such a hole in the system that people who want to help must sometimes do it illegally. I bow down before everyone who does this. Olivier and Eric are great directors and screenwriters. They’re able to make a film that doesn’t forcefully milk your emotions, but still offers you a certain fatal dimension in the story that not every screenwriter is able to pull off, and I am very thankful for that. (15/12/2019)

The film addresses issues surrounding the integration of autistic individuals into society, anticipated conflicts with the general inspection, parental concerns about who will care for their children in the future, and, above all, people who selflessly live their lives for others. Unlike Intouchables, and borrowing a term from Faidra, the “perfumed stench of decay” is absent here, replaced by a higher degree of authenticity and a focus on societal layers that viewers can more readily relate to. Moreover, there’s the traditionally excellent Monsieur Cassel and a soundtrack that, in conjunction with the visuals, effectively evokes emotions. (12/01/2023)

See? This is how you make a Deep Human Story. This was already outlined this year by the solid film Invisibles, but Nakache and Toledano gave it a hit packaging that has the potential to work outside of France. The complex topic of caring for children with autism is served by the two hit-makers with ease, which, however, is not identical to exploitation. The film has a great tempo, gallows humor, a strong central pair of actors and the ability to hide appealing pathos under a realistic and civilian tone. The message is so serious and the topic so current that one forgives even the protracted (lack of) point. We're almost there. It's just that we're still far away. I am healthily and un-cynically moved by a film that refuses to believe that things are long lost and that it is not worth fighting losing battles to the end. (28/11/2019)

The makers of The Intouchables moved this time from quadriplegics to the world of the autistic, and while I was more taken with their earlier work – both on a serious and comedic level – The Specials is still a solidly made film with a strong story, solid performances and a truly wonderful soundtrack that brought light and hope to this sad subject matter. Caring for autistic people is a long haul, it only takes a moment of inattention for disaster to strike. The directors succeeded in bringing this issue to the audience in a non-violent way and once again managed to translate a powerful real-life issue into a quality piece of cinema. (13/12/2019)

The duo of Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano are excellent directors, as they proved with their hit The Intouchables, and this is another powerful slice-of-life tale that manages to grab you by the heart at least in the last half hour. But I had trouble fully empathizing with the film, and that is partly due to a premise that is not so appealing. Vincent Cassel gives a great performance and it's good to see him in a different role than a villain (the scene when he is interrogated is Oscar-worthy). Surprisingly, the humour didn't work for me, I didn't laugh once and the topic itself unfortunately doesn't say anything to me, so I didn't have much fun. Even though the film qualities here are very high I can't give an above average rating. It is first of all a deep drama with a sensitive theme and I don't like that much. Story****, Action>No, Humor**, Violence>No, Entertainment***, Music****, Visuals****, Atmosphere***, Suspense*. 6.5/10. (21/04/2020)