Director Carlo Zoratti has made a film about the natural needs and desires of his protagonist Enea Gabino: His friend is 29-years-old and autistic who lives a largely self-determined and independent life, however due to his naivete and childishness he hasn’t yet fulfilled his wish of being sexual with a woman, information he sheeplishly admits to his friends. Carlo and Alex decide to change this and embark on a road trip to Austria to help get their friend laid. The journey takes the Italian trio to a brothel in Austria, and to the 'Institute for Self-determination' in the North German town of Trebel. Yet as it is the case with such road trips – the journey is the destination and in the end what starts out as a quest to lose his virginity turns out to be a more initmate journey into his feelings. Zoratti’s THE SPECIAL NEED confronts a social and cultural taboo topic with lightness and is still able to capture the depths to Enea’s longing and sadness. Enea’s actual desire reveals itself in the course o f the film and allows the young man to be seen in a different light.
Director Zoratti accompanies Enea as a friend in front of the camera and as an observer behind the camera and is able to stay both cheerful and restrained, and is able to let the story unfold to give the audience an exploration of what people desire.

Jens Mayer