SIMPLE SIMON – SLIFF Review

We first meet Simon curled up inside a garbage can… pardon me, a “space ship.” Simon, played by Bill Skarsgard, has Asperger’s. This means he thinks differently from those around him. Simon has an affection for circles, a fascination with space, and a terrible time dealing with change in his life. Simon lives with his brother Sam, played by Martin Wollstrom, the only person who knows how to talk with Simon so he understand. Unfortunately, when Sam’s girlfriend can no longer take the eccentricities of living with Simon, she leaves, causing Sam to slip into a depression. This is when the fun starts.

Written by Jonathan Sjoberg and directed by Andreas Ohman, SIMPLE SIMON is not a traditional romantic comedy. The film has a similar cute absurdity as Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s AMELIE. The story takes us into the mind of Simon as he struggles to find a solution to his brother’s depression, and in turn his own newly acquired and unwelcome chaos in his daily schedule.

There is a charm to the routine of SIMPLE SIMON, each day has its schedule and each schedule has its structure. Simon relies on the predictability of this organization to maintain peace, but when things do go awry, he retreats to his “space ship.” During his daily walk to his job, at precisely the same time, he repeatedly runs into Frida, played by Sofia Hamilton. Literally, having physically collided with Frida, it sparks an unlikely friendship between the two polar opposite personalities, a friendship Simon is not even aware of as he quests to fins Sam a new girlfriend.

Hamilton is an adorable mess, a free spirit who enjoys the uncertainty of life. The odds of her and Simon getting along so well are astronomical, but she has a way about her that allows Simon to understand her like he understands Sam. Equations begin to formulate in Simon’s head as he develops his master plan. SIMPLE SIMON is visually playful and colorful. Ohman composes a sort of energetic geometry, combining order and chaos to illustrate Simon’s world and the real world, integrated into one reality.

SIMPLE SIMON was Sweden’s 2010 Oscar entry for best foreign language film.

Showtimes
Sunday, November 13th at 3:30pm – Plaza Frontenac Cinema
Tuesday, November 15th at 4:15pm – Plaza Frontenac Cinema