Special

Written and Directed by Hal Haberman and Jeremy Passmore, this 2006 film was in precedence of the 2011 hit film ‘Limitless’; quite a similar idea, but very different effects, in that results of digesting pills doesn’t give one tremendous abilities, but instead psychotic reactions. This drama/fantasy was a peculiar one, and although in the beginning there were many comedic parts, it progressively became dark and melancholic. It is one man’s journey in trying to be different from the billions of others on earth; a man wanting to make a change for the better; wanting to feel good about himself, and when he realizes he isn’t ‘special’, he doesn’t give up the fight in survival.

Michael Rapaport kept us engaged from beginning till end left the audience feeling sympathetic towards his character Les, when things take a turn for the worst. Paul Blackthorne and Josh Peck also gave worthy performances but I especially enjoyed Alexandra Holden’s scenes; she played Maggie, the cashier in the convenience store, whom even though she had little lines, still left a lasting impression.

A slow yet thought-provoking film that inspires society to recognize that we shouldn’t wait for people to label us something to be that something; that we are already whatever we want to be. Our gifts, our power, our efforts are all within, and we don’t need people’s affirmations or pills to bring us to that place. Drugs can alter your thinking and even make you crazy, but once you believe in yourself and your abilities, then you aren’t like everybody else; you’re ‘special’, one of the few that believes differently.

This film took about 1 million to make and only made $3000 on opening weekend and $6000 overall. What I think they could have done differently would be to do the obvious in allowing the main character to truly gain super powers after ingesting the drug, as was done in ‘Limitless’. I understand the message they were bringing to the masses, but unfortunately the masses’ prefer quick fixes, big explosions, and instant gratification.