A poignant and provocative Argentinian response to Lars von Trier’s The Idiots. Russian premiere as part of the contemporary programme of the Festival of Singular Films.
Simon of the Mountain
- Date:
- 28 Sep 2024,
20:00–21:40
- Age restrictions
- 18+
Simón de la montaña
2024, Federico Luis
Argentina–Chile–Uruguay
98 minutes, Spanish with Russian subtitles
Starring: Lorenzo Ferro, Pehuen Pedre, Kiara Supini, Laura Nevole
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Something is happening to Simon. A quiet, lonely 21-year-old who describes his occupation as “assistant loader” (he helps his stepfather who is in the transportation business) he suddenly finds friends who at last make him feel that he belongs. They happen to be from the local support centre for neurodivergent people. And although Simon is not neurodivergent himself, this doesn’t stop him from even trying to get a disability certificate by imitating tics and speech defects. All of this comes as a shock to those who have known him all his life.
Shot from Simon of the Mountain, 2024
Argentinian director Federico Luis’ moving, puzzling and wholly original debut feature is a callback to Luis Bunuel’s 1965 classic Simon of the Desert.
— Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline
How far can a person go in wanting to be noticed? The debut of Argentine Federico Luis almost immediately makes viewers feel uncomfortable, as the process of observing neurodivergent people also makes them like Simon, who seeks to gain their trust for the sake of attention. But Luis does not imply exploitation—on the contrary, the movie consistently and effectively forces us to reevaluate the prejudices and clichés that surround this topic. Luis is not afraid to be provocative, and finds traits of sensuality, narcissism and pretentiousness in his neurodivergent characters. But they all revolve around the black hole that is Simon.
The screening will begin with a brief speech by the curator in Russian. If you require interpretation into English, please request it at least three days in advance by emailing international@ges-2.org.
The film won the Grand Prix in the Critics’ Week programme at the Cannes Film Festival (2024).
