‘Simon of the Mountain’ - Review
Simon of the Mountain is another in the long-line of neorealist-inflected indie social dramas that have come to dominate film festivals in recent years. Although it doesn’t stand head-and-shoulders above any of its competitors, director Federico Luis Tacehella’s debut feature asks more than enough interesting questions to earn its place. He presents the world through Simon’s eyes: cold mountains and too-tight homes, with only glimpses of a neighborhood or community around him. Instead, Simon finds himself welcomed into a group of young people united by their individual disabilities. As Simon works to make the life with them he’s failed to realize amongst the neurotypical and able-bodied, he must navigate their incredulity and concern at his intense identification with his new friends. The film’s commitment to Simon’s subjectivity is admirable if unimaginative: it works for the better when the camera substitutes for Simon’s longing stares; it works for worse as we mirror his lowered posture and stay visually stuck with the craggy, gray stones of his village. The film dares to ask some discomforting questions about the nature of disability and has the good sense to understand that the interrogation process is what makes up a movie, while the answers must come to a viewer only after they head home.
Simon of the Mountain, 2024
We open with Simon (Lorenzo Ferro) on the mountain in an interview – which unbeknownst to him is a test – being asked questions about his day-to-day capabilities. He passes and is invited by his interrogator, the long-faced Pehuén (Pehuén Pedie), to join his cohort of friends. Simon quickly integrates with the gang, having a blast, even following them home from their excursion and discovering a thriving community center. The catch is that Pehuén and his friends have some form of government recognized disability and are benefitting from a program which does not have room for a documentless Simon.
The movie then becomes an exploration of Simon’s quick identification with the world of disability and what it means for him. The people in his life, especially his mother, are quick to invalidate Simon’s new expressions – whether they be an involuntary head motion or the adoption of an over-the-ear hearing aid. Simon remains committed to immersing himself where he has found rapid acceptance, even when it starts to get him in trouble with other authorities.
Who gets to decide when somebody has a disability? Is it through official medical examination and a government certificate? Through the eyes and empathy of others with disabilities? Does it have to be visible? If you never thought you were deaf before you put on hearing aids, did you even need them in the first place?
Growing up, I was not popular amongst my peers at school and often felt myself socially deficient. Through a family connection, I ended up spending a significant amount of time with children my age who were receiving behavioral/psychological assistance for autism. I immediately felt that the milieu was different, and found myself talking unfettered and easily with other kids my age, an ability I normally only had when convincing an adult to leave me be. When I reckoned with the commonality amongst these breezier interactions, it was that I was speaking to an autistic peer. So, I assumed that I, too, must be autistic. I believed this wholeheartedly from the ages of six to thirteen, when the emotional maturation of myself and my peers led to more explicative conversations about autism and a personal realization that I did not meet the criteria. I remember a secret disappointment: I wanted to belong with them and I wanted to know why I didn’t belong with everyone else. If an autistic community fit me better, why wasn’t I allowed to be a part of it!?
Simon of the Mountain, 2024
Although I’ve come up with answers for myself, Simon of the Mountain leaves these questions up in the air, which places an enormous tension on what may be increasingly inappropriate interactions between Simon and a sexually precocious, younger member of the group, Colo. This B-plot was very reminiscent of Oasis, a 2002 Lee Chang-dong tearjerker about a forbidden romance between a woman with cerebral palsy and an undiagnosed neurodivergent ex-felon. Director Tacehella uses the coupling to pose extremely incendiary questions about our typical understanding of how disability and sexuality intersect. Some viewers may find themselves deeply uncomfortable as dynamics of exploitation begin to crop up and appear to run counter to our preconceived expectations.
Although its serious tone and handheld aesthetics will fail to pop out amidst a sea of social issue movies, Simon of the Mountain sticks in the mind because of the ambiguity and first-person perspective it lends to all its scenes. It depicts the effects of disability without ever becoming traumaporn or offensive, instead celebrating the unique cultural milieu and connections that arise between people who have largely felt misunderstood otherwise. When you finally see your look returned back to you, who is anyone else to say that you are not like them too?