The Specials

Florida Premiere

Chosen as the closing night film at the Cannes Film Festival, The Specials is an awe-inspiring, heartfelt French drama based on the true story of Bruno (leading French actor Vincent Cassel, Black Swan), an Orthodox Jew who runs a home and a day program for the most severely autistic children and young people in Paris, with his colleague Malik (Reda Kateb from MJFF 2018 film Django), a Muslim who trains young people from poor neighborhoods to work as caregivers. Acclaimed filmmakers Olivier Nakache & Eric Toledano first received international renown for their film The Intouchables, one of the most popular French films in history, and subsequently spent two years working with and getting to know young people with autism in a dance and theater workshop. The resulting film, which was screened for French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, is so authentic and so moving, it proves that every moment the directors invested in the workshop was worthwhile. Opening a door into the world of teenagers and young adults on the autism spectrum, this is the rare film that comes both from the heart and reality. Nominated for seven César Awards and Winner of the Donostia Audience Award at the San Sebastián Film Festival.