Director: Luis Federico
Writers: Tomas Murphy, Federico Luis Tachella, Agustin Toscano
Stars: Lorenzo Ferro, Pehuen Pedre, Kiara Supini
Synopsis: Seeking change, 21-year-old Simon finds purpose by befriending two disabled children who teach him to embrace life’s joys. Together, they navigate a world not designed for them, inventing their own rules for love and happiness.
Simon of the Mountain (Simón de la montaña), Federico Luis Tachella’s pretty frustrating picture (screening at this year’s Cannes Film Festival in the Semaine de la critique), is built like a coming-of-story that we all know – a type of narrative that we tend to see at the festival. However, Federico Luis Tachella focuses more on the aspect of trying to find a place or group in the world where he could feel special and cared for. The film is groundbreaking in its casting choices and subject matter, as we haven’t seen it depict disabled people. However, even though it covers an important topic, it feels ever so distant due to some narrative decisions.
The film begins abruptly, introducing us immediately to the twenty-one-year-old titular character, Simon (Lorenzo Ferro). He claims to be a moving assistant; he knows how to make a bed but nothing else. Simon can’t cook, clean, or lift heavy objects; so the viewer hesitates to believe him during the film’s first segment. At first glance, he is a complex character to read because the director places us in the middle of an encounter between him and a stranger who asks about his past experiences. The first few minutes contain a sense of mystery; the narrative is unclear as we go through a series of vignettes that capture Simon’s life after that encounter.
Simon remains mostly silent during these scenes; he stays in the background like the viewer watching the film unfold. The only narrative tissue connecting these scenes is the love story between Pehuen (Pehuén Pedie), the stranger from before, and a girl named Angelica. The two meet in secret; the hospice of the disabled where they stay prohibits sexual relations. One day, Pehuén asks Simon to cover for him as he meets Angelica in the showers. But they all get caught, with Pehuén and Simon being sent to the director’s office to discuss the situation. In this scene, we get some clarity within the narrative and some background to Simon as a character.
We meet his mother, who has been worried sick as she searches for him everywhere. She starts to notice that her son is acting differently. Simon has apparently lost his ID and disability certificate, yet his mother states that he has never had the latter. At this point, multiple questions pop into the viewer’s mind. Is Simon lying to this three-week-old friend about his condition? What are his intentions? Is he being genuine or mocking them? You don’t exactly know, and the film doesn’t make the search for these answers easy. His mother believes he doesn’t have the best intentions, yet Simon remarks that he has always felt that way, just like Pehuén and Angelica.
That’s why Pehuén helps him to get the disability certificate; he does so by teaching him how to walk, talk, and react just like him. During Simon of the Mountain, the titular character goes through a couple of discussions that make him think about why he feels he belongs alongside his friends. Simon, as well as the audience watching, questions whether or not he is disabled, and if so, why would his mother reject him like that instead of seeking help. This is Simon’s journey of self-discovery, hoping the people around him accept him into this place he deems special. While well-intentioned and good-hearted, the film fails to transmit the character’s emotions to the viewer.
We watch as he immerses himself in this new life, yet the viewer is not entirely captivated by his journey. Federico Luis Tachella doesn’t take much time to provide details about Simon’s background. Instead, he has him in different scenarios that don’t develop his character to a compelling degree. Simon of the Mountain is a fairly acted drama that leaves more questions in your mind than answering the ones established throughout the narrative. That isn’t a particular issue that ruins the viewing experience. I prefer that films leave room for ambiguity rather than having an immediate answer for everything or sugarcoating the story to avoid doing so.
However, when you don’t have a fully defined character in the lead role, and he doesn’t grow much during the story being told, significant problems arise. I would like to revisit the film later to see if my thoughts would change, given that I know how Simon’s journey concludes. But as of now, I think the film lacks the brevity to showcase its beating heart properly. It has been one of the most strenuous watches at the festival, not because of how Federico Luis Tachella handles the subject matter but because of the procedure he used to tell this story.
