Simon of the Mountain’ Review: Federico Luis’ Sometimes Playful, Often Provocative Debut Weighs What Constitutes Disability
By Alissa Simon
Unusual in tone and content, “Simon of the Mountain” is a small, low-budget drama in which the title character tries to find his comfort zone. Unfolding in short vignettes, the Argentine feature centers on a group of nonprofessional performances: independent-minded adolescents with cognitive disabilities. The only professional actors featured on-screen play the title character and the working adults they interact with. The open-to-interpretation debut feature from prize-winning shorts helmer Federico Luis challenges viewers’ preconceptions about his characters and won’t be to every taste. But the intimate drama has definitely found fans, as indicated by its warm reception from the jury of the Cannes Critics’ Week, where it nabbed the Grand Prize last week.
T...
