Simon Killer

Simon (Brady Corbet) is a seemingly bright young man. In school he studied something to do with “the relationship between the eye and the brain.” He’s exiled himself to Paris after his relationship with his girlfriend has gone south. He’s not over her; the first act shows him mewling, pouting, trying to come to terms with it and slipping into self-destruction. He meets a young prostitute at a bar and convinces himself that this is The One. Soon enough, schemes are cooked up and Simon gets in way over his head. Writer and director Antonio Campos has crafted a graphic, compelling film simmering with tension and noir sensibilities. The majority of this film crackles with electricity; from the neon lights of Paris’ red light district, the vaguely menacing pop songs that dot the soundtrack and to the numerous dissolves that wash out into what looks like late-night TV static.