Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano may not be names that stick with everyone, but they have a solid reputation thanks to Intouchables. In 2019, they had the honor of closing the Cannes Film Festival with their latest film, The Specials, which has finally become available on streaming services in Italy.
— Read also: The Specials: On Speaking for the Common Good
Vincent Cassel and Reda Kateb step into a world that exists in France: the network of associations caring for people with severe autism. The French state has largely abandoned these complicated cases, or more precisely, admits it cannot handle them: the associations fill the gap instead. They have no official mandate, yet they close a void in health care and social policy through sheer commitment and devotion. This is the work of Bruno (Cassel) and Malik (Kateb) in the film: they help people with autism whom nobody else will touch, while fighting to keep their program alive during state inspections. The tension between fiction and reality cuts to the heart of the movie: there is no need to invent anything to move or awaken an audience, and yet the demands of narrative have pushed the filmmakers to focus on the most severe cases. The real focus is not on autism itself, but on those who shoulder its weight.
The two lead actors work alongside people who genuinely have autism, lending the story authenticity: but for it to be even more convincing, the film might have lingered longer on therapy sequences—these are too brief and lack real meaning—and spelled out more clearly the struggles of both the patients and their caregivers. What stands out most is a powerful indictment of French institutions: it is hard to accept that in times of need, one must trust the goodwill of individuals more than a state to which we pay taxes.