We All Think We’re Special

The two actors are the only people onscreen for 99% of the film. There’s a scene early on with someone else, and a few characters come near the end, but mostly it is Bankens and McGovern. Luckily, they are each putting their all into their respective roles, not afraid of looking ugly or nasty, which adds to the movie’s overall realism. The two also share solid chemistry, so their friendship is believable.

Adding to the engagement is Voss’ stellar directing. He employs split-screen several points throughout We All Think We’re Special, to great effect. Charlie is pedantically explaining parallel lines to Ed, and one side of the screen is focused on Bankens’ face, as he’s convinced he’s smarter than everyone else, present company included. The other side is a close up of his hands, holding some food he’s using as props to illustrate his point. It is much more visually engaging than the standard medium shot most others would shoot it as.

“…employs split-screen…to great effect.”

Voss is keenly aware of how to maximize his single location story and make it as visually engaging as possible. But, as things come to a head, a few sequences are a bit over-edited. The images come and go so quickly, it is a bit hard to process everything being shown, making them a tad confusing.

But that is a minor issue, especially when We All Think We’re Special handles mental health so accurately. The screenplay never takes a wrong turn, allowing the pain and anger Charlie feels to be both relatable and off-putting, as it so often is when it comes to mental health. Having personally been affected by similar issues as displayed here, the filmmakers know what they are talking about. The movie never exploits this angle and is also smart enough to know that not everyone can or wants to be saved.

We All Think We’re Special is a very realistic portrayal of mental health problems and the well-meaning friends who want to help. The acting is fantastic, and the directing is visually arresting, while never being so flashy as to overpower the message. Check it out as soon as possible.