Simon Killer (2013)

Fresh and Exciting

In other words,this film is a surreal ride.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

Walking in to the theater I had no preconception of what this film was about. Other than that it was set in Paris. And boy did it surprise me. From the get-go you could tell that it would be an exciting audiovisual ride. And I'd say it held onto that feeling through out the entire film.The initial picture of a desperate young man had me fooled that it was going to be a dreary sob story. Slowly, but surely it dawned on me how incredibly well both Campos, in his directing, and Corbet, in his acting, had done once I realized I could sense the awkwardness as he pushed himself into Noura's life. At this point, I was sold.The story is a very compelling one, in its own, bizarre way, that the longer it progressed I could scarcely take my eyes off the screen. And as far as trying to fit this masterpiece into a definitive box? I feel like this is one of those movies that just doesn't fit perfectly into any category. The film lends from a wide array of genres, ranging from thrillers to drama and from horror to artsy soft-core and beyond. I'd sincerely recommend giving this film a view if you're interested in top of the line acting, directing and cinematography, spiced with a hint of atypical story telling. Especially if you are ready to either enjoy or put aside the explicit content, which at times can be a little disturbing, to put it mildly.

I recently saw this movie, after eagerly anticipating it for a good long while. Overall I found it so-so; whilst ranging from good to brilliant in most every technical aspect, a singificant detractor was the character of Simon. Simply put, I don't believe he is what he's described to be. The synopsis, pre-release interviews and reviews talk of a sociopath (which I appreciate is now an antiquated DSM term, but it's the one they employ so I will employ it too), but it's clear the term has been either misinterpreted or misused.The film's eponymous 'killer' definitely has some sort of borderline or antisocial/dissocial personality disorder - his pathological lying and manipulating with no regard for others demonstrate this with crystal clarity - but to my knowledge, true sociopathy does not appear to be it. His obvious distress and pained, emotional reactions at two certain points (the part where he's discussing his ex with his mother via skype; and when he breaks down, crying for his mother, after leaving his fox pin on the left-for-dead Victoria/Noura) strike me as simply too human for a sociopath.It's the very presence of such distress in itself that nullifies the term 'sociopath'. Longing for others, for comfort from and attachment to others, is something absent in sociopaths. Whilst they do feel certain emotions on a superficial level, and certainly can be given to acute displays of anger and aggression, sadness and need for others just does not feature. They are more than adept, however at feigning such emotions in order to manipulate others (just as Simon does), but they do not genuinely, deeply feel them, therefore would have no reason to exhibit them when alone in their most honest moments.The term 'sociopath' has been wielded quite loosely in fiction for ages, but I would have thought intelligent writer-directors such as Antonio Campos, and actor-writers such as Brady Corbet, would be more circumspect. Hats off to them, they wrote and pulled off an interesting character who inspires the very repugnance he's designed to - that much is mission accomplished - but I do not believe he's a sociopath. And if they had simply described him simply as amoral or morally questionable, that would have sufficed; but as such, 'sociopath' is not and cannot be used as shorthand.In conclusion, the film is definitely worth a watch, for the top notch performances and 'killer' soundtrack (pun not intended); but if you're looking for a character study of a sociopath, watch René Clémant's 'Purple Noon (Plein Soleil)' instead. In 'Simon Killer', the eponymous character exhibits certain sociopathic traits, and evidently falls somewhere in the spectrum of borderline or antisocial/dissocial personality disorders, but I would dispute whether he is a true sociopath; and as the film rests on the veracity of Simon as one, this is where it fails for me.

'Simon Killer' is about a young American who goes to Paris following the failure of his relationship with his girlfriend - the very heavy implication being the break-up was his fault. He quickly inveigles his way into the life of a young prostitute, before taking up with a classier girl. Quite how he manages to get so much feminine action is beyond me - grubby, and festooned with the facial scurf so many young men go in for nowadays, he's a sorry-looking article - he gives the impression he doesn't wipe properly, y'know? And that's before you get to his being really intense and creepy. Worth watching once, but I doubt I'll try to see it again.

Oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy. Thankfully, was able to catch this in the Institute of Contemporary Arts here in London. I was expecting to be disappointed because I had such high hopes after AFTERSCHOOL and was ready to agree with my friends that this would be wanky, but they actually really dug it. Even with all the nudity and visually arresting red-and-blue strobe transitions. Maybe I just have more open-minded friends who just trust my taste in movies, but they really took something out of it and we discussed quite a lot on the way back which was mostly about Simon's psyche.Simon is a fascinating character. Brady Corbet really commits to an incredibly personal and unsettling persona.Disturbing, confusing, creepy, trippy holiday from hell. Yes, it's about an American who's just broken up and goes to France to hook up with a prostitute but it's done in the most arty, otherworldly style. It's just so primal from the cinematography (lots of behind person camera tracking shots) down to the score of drones and drums getting you right into the head of Simon. GOOD LORD THE SOUNDTRACK! "It Takes A Muscle To Fall In Love", LCD Soundsystem. I think this one has SPRING BREAKERS beat for this year in terms of foreboding score and licensed synth-pop tracks. But just as you're about to get comfortable, the music is abruptly stopped which fits Simon's character.The way the camera operates in this very voyeuristic, CCTV robot-like manner (just like in AFTERSCHOOL). It'll have the camera focus on a table with a girl laying down the groceries (bananas and bags of cocaine), then to her movements, characters talking, and eventually resulting in a long shot where you're just been immersed into everything rather than just the dialogue.It just makes for a very claustrophobic experience, and you can't wait to breath for the next day to come.