Craftsmanship counts for a lot, especially when it comes to low budget indies, and SPECIAL boasts (among other things) some solid craftsmanship. It also boasts a solid performance by Michael Rapaport (his best, that I've seen); the focus on his character here is acute and he is more than up to the challenge: we BELIEVE his character (and believe IN him) because Rapaport sells himself so well on screen. To come across a movie of this nature (one that deals head-on with mental illness) is rare enough, but to come across a movie that draws you in and makes you BELIEVE is rarer still. Although noted Acting Award-winning thespian Lincoln Osiris (TROPIC THUNDER) has admonished fellow actors not to go "full retard" (the way Woody Harrelson did in DEFENDOR), SPECIAL is an exception to the rule in that it proves that delving into the darkest recesses of the mind CAN be done and done well.
