TAD Series – Special

A lonely meter maid decides to take part in a study for a new drug that is supposed to remove all self doubt in a person. When a side effect causes him to gain super powers he decides to fight crime, but does he really have powers or is he suffering a psychotic reaction to the drugs?

Written and Directed by – Hal Haberman, Jeremy Passmore

Starring – Michael Rapaport, Paul Blackthorne, Josh Peck, Robert Baker, Jack Kehler, Alexandra Holden, Ian Bohen, Christopher Darga

Once again I watched another great flick from the 2006 Toronto After Dark Film Festival lineup. This is a little bit different than anything I’ve seen Michael Rapaport in before and he does an impressive job at portraying the lonely meter maid with superpowers. The films plot may revolve around this comic book type world but it’s underlying message is one of hope and belief in the fact that just because you’re ordinary doesn’t mean you’re not ‘Special’.

What I like about this one is that you’re never really sure if he has any powers at all. It jumps back and forth between a scene showing him use a power to a scene where he thinks he is but isn’t. As the character starts to lose his grip on reality, the viewer is also left wondering what is true or not. It’s a great concept that is used to full advantage. As opposed to believing one thing the whole movie and then presented with the truth, by the end of this one it’s pretty much left up to you to decide what was true and what was false.

This one is truly one of those movies that has you discussing it afterwards with your friends. The fact that the drug he’s testing removes all self doubt in a person is another theory. It seems as if you’re meant to decide if  he’s crazy or not. I felt that if the drugs were removing the inhibition he was suffering, why couldn’t he be out fighting crime without any powers. He’s a lover of comics and admits to having had dreams of flying and seems the type that would want to fight injustice if given the chance. When all his doubt is removed he gains the ability to act on these feelings and doing what he thinks is right. Of course that’s just my opinion and the movie is obviously open to all suggestions.

Again, Michael Rapaport is amazing in this one as his psyche slowly starts to crumble. He truly believes he has these powers while everyone around him is convinced that he doesn’t. There’s some shadowy figures from the drug company who are trying to stop him to save themselves the embarrassment his actions may cause but he thinks they’re only there to take away his powers. It’s a great movie and once and awhile I like to be given the choice to make up my own mind on what has just taken place in a film. I would suggest that the true film lovers out there look for this one as I’m really interested to see what everyone else comes up with for the movie.

Under the marquee – Will