Simon of the Mountain

A playful and provocative drama about a young man who befriends a group of disabled teenagers, deftly questioning societal attitudes and social boundaries.

Federico Luis’ debut feature Simon of the Mountain is a playful and provocative drama about a young man who befriends a group of disabled teenagers, all played by disabled actors. His parents are increasingly frustrated with odd changes in his behaviour, he has become more withdrawn and appears to be affecting a strange, facial tic. But his new friends accept him as one of them, which clearly gives him a new sense of belonging. The film deftly questions societal attitudes and social boundaries and reinvents familiar scenes from a more conventional coming of age drama, with a fascinating new twist.

"Simon of the Mountain, Argentinian director Federico Luis’ moving, puzzling and wholly original debut feature, which won the top prize at Critics’ Week in Cannes, is a callback to Luis Bunuel’s 1965 classic Simon of the Desert." - Stephanie Bunbury, Screen International