The film is based on the true story of an Orthodox Jew who is called Bruno in the film, who runs a facility for those with autism in Paris, with support from the ultra-Orthodox community.
By HANNAH BROWN‘The Specials’ tells an extraordinary story(photo credit: CAROLE BETHUEL/COURTESY OF LEV CINEMAS)With Vincent Cassel,Reda Kateb and Hélène Vincent.Hebrew title:‘Yotzim Min HaKlal.’114 minutes. In French, check with theaters for subtitle information.The Specials, the latest film directed by Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano, the duo who made The Intouchables, one of the most popular French films in history, is the best movie ever made about people with severe autism, but that’s not why you should see it.You should see it because it’s a wonderful film, which takes an inherently difficult subject and uses it to tell a touching and powerful story that deftly blends tragedy and comedy as few filmmakers today can. It isn’t a movie about an issue that preaches to you. Instead, it tells a story that no one has ever managed to tell before, filled with drama and genuine suspense.At this point I should say that I am the mother of a young man with autism who is not very different from many of the characters. While this means I have more than a casual interest in this subject, it also means that I am exquisitely attuned to any false notes. But there are none here. The directors know this subject inside out and have avoided all the clichés and stereotypes. This isn’t about Rain Man-type savants, and love doesn’t heal all problems.The film is based on the true story of an Orthodox Jew who is called Bruno (Vincent Cassel) in the film, who runs a facility for those with autism in Paris, with support from the ultra-Orthodox community. Bruno cannot bear to refuse anyone in need and his mantra is, “I’ll find a solution,” whenever he hears about a difficult case. He works closely with Malik (Reda Kateb), a Muslim, who is in charge of a related program that trains youth from Paris’s slums to work with autistic people.Bruno has been running the facility, which is both a home and a day program, without the proper certification for 15 years, and now officials are reviewing his organization with an eye to shutting it down. While he is dealing with this, he has to figure out how to take in a severely violent and withdrawn teenage boy, Valentin (Marco Locatelli), who has been hospitalized on a locked ward. Another project is helping the first autistic boy he ever worked with – now a young man, Joseph (Benjamin Lesieur), who has a penchant for pulling the alarm on the Metro – ease into his first real job, repairing washing machines, an appliance with which he is obsessed. All three of the storylines have dramatic momentum, as does a fourth, about Malik’s conflicts with Dylan (Bryan Mialoundama), a young man with no direction and no work ethic whom he is trying to train in caregiving work. These intense plot lines are lightened by the camaraderie between Bruno and Malik and the gentle comedy about Bruno being set up on dates by the ultra-Orthodox matchmakers who fund his program. In one scene, Bruno finally agrees to turn off his phone while he goes on a date with a divorcée. Naturally, when Bruno doesn’t answer, Malik sends one of his trainees to tell him in person that there is a crisis that he must deal with immediately. “What’s a shidduch?” asks the kid, who has seen the word on the monthly calendar, as he and Bruno rush to the home. As Bruno tries to explain, the kid laughs. “Oh, it’s Jewish Tinder,” he says.The acting is excellent and Hélène Vincent is particularly compelling as Joseph’s devoted but frustrated mother. All but one of the autistic kids are played by people with autism. Many of those portraying Malik’s trainees are also non-professionals. This casting gives the story an authentic feel. The juxtaposition of the troubled youth trying to find jobs with stories of the autistic young people works brilliantly, because it shows how there are obstacles across the board. Dylan has clearly been deprived of the kind of support and love needed to help him focus and achieve, and The Specials gradually becomes a tale about our shared humanity. Even Bruno’s failed attempts to find a girlfriend are part of this narrative. Everyone has something holding them back, The Specials seems to say, but if we reach out to each other, there can be a hope of redemption.
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