An absolute waste of money

Admirable film.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

An American sociopath decides to vent his frustrations in a foreign land, exercising deep emotional manipulation tactics and brutal ruthlessness. Atmosphere builds up in waves, ushered forward with a dynamic soundtrack (LCD soundsystem, Spectral Display) pounding between the occasional shot with harsh reds and deep white flashes. I feel it's a touch too gratuitous with the sexual scenes, although it is used to show a quickly built relationship, and to that means is very effective. Disturbing and thought provoking, great performances all round. It truly takes a muscle to fall in love, but whether that be the heart, the brain, or anything else, is left to the imagination.

Simon is a recent college graduate who has recently broken up with a long term girlfriend. He wanders the streets of Paris, brooding over his former partner, Michelle. Along the way, he meets a prostitute, first as a client, and later as a roommate. He comes up with an idea for her to make easy money through blackmail. The problem is that the movie meanders with bad direction and no real conclusion. Simon is a man with no emotion, and, in the end I did not care about him at all, or any other character he encounters on his meaningless travels. I could not wait for film to end, and there is no reason at all to sit through Simon Killer.

This is an interesting film directed by Antonio Campos about a young man from New York who has apparently just finished a degree in neuroscience (he turns out to be a liar, so this may not be true, and in the film's last line he says to a customs official that he studies French literature), and is spending a few weeks in Paris living in the apartment of a family friend. What starts out as a story about an American student in Paris about to start his tour around Europe gradually turns into something darker as Simon, the eponymous character, meets an attractive French prostitute in a hostess bar. Simon cunningly inveigles himself into her life and soon moves into her apartment. We are not yet sure whether Simon is just a slippery character or a full-blown grifter, but at this point the plot reminded me of Jim Thompson's novels so I was gratified to learn from one interview with Campos that Thompson was indeed one of the inspirations for the film. Simon then persuades Noura (the prostitute he met at the hostess bar) to blackmail her customers with his help. So far, this is a fairly common film noir plot, but this unusual movie has much more to offer. Brady Corbet's acting as Simon is very good, Antonio Campos employs interesting visual techniques and other innovative elements, and the movie has an outstanding soundtrack. Corbet does a good job of keeping us guessing about just who, and how sinister a character, Simon really is. Is he just a bright student who opportunistically turns to blackmail to finance his holiday in Paris, or is he a professional con man who is potentially violent and dangerous? The dark and sexual themes, stalking camera (hostile strangers lurk just around the corner in Pigalle or accost Simon as he tries to pick up Parisian girls on the street), and memorable pop music score, reminded me of Blue Velvet, and it had me wondering if Simon is closer to Jeffrey Beaumont or to Frank Booth. As the suspense builds and things become ever darker, I also began to compare the film to The Comfort of Strangers, another tale of sexual attraction, perversion, deception and violence on a holiday in a picturesque European city (a film that brought together Paul Schrader, Ian McEwan, Harold Pinter and Christopher Walken... what a team!) But I digress. Antonio Campos does some really interesting things visually in this film. For example, there are strange light effects both at the very beginning of the movie and again to separate different parts of the story, like section breaks (these are accompanied by haunting songs with lyrics such as "It takes a muscle to fall in love"). I was intrigued by these light effects and Campos explains in one interview that he tried to recreate the lights you see as you press against your closed eyes with your fingers. Campos created these effects by removing the lens from a certain type of camera and filming Christmas lights which thus left only the imprint of their colours. These light effects are particularly appropriate in the film as Simon's thesis work (if he wasn't lying) involved the connection between the brain and the eye. Other interesting aspects of the movie include the bilingual script and way language is used. Simon often pretends not to understand when another character says something in French, and uses this to his advantage in his deceptions and tricks. Simon also often communicates non-verbally by an odd assortment of grunts, whimpers and yelps. Campos says that Brady Corbet actually worked out a whole system for these sounds, one for "angry Simon," another for "sad Simon," another for "anxious Simon" and so on. If you like Jim Thompson, Blue Velvet and The Comfort of Strangers, Simon Killer just might be your cup of tea.

Recently heartbroken, Simon (Brady Corbet) travels to Paris to clear his head. After several days of wandering aimlessly, Simon finds himself drawn into a sex parlor and has a sexual encounter with an exotic prostitute, Victoria (Mati Diop). The chemistry builds between the two until they find themselves in a serious relationship, one that leads to blackmail and betrayal through Simon's penchant for other girls and the ultimate revelation of Simon's true nature.Simon is an American white boy in Paris. A compelling character study of a man who might or might not be a sociopath since sociopaths have minimal need for other humans or attachments, but definitely has a major personality disorder and he likes to have control over women, but not in the traditional way. He starts by making them sympathize with him and then takes over their lives which is even worse than it sounds. The acting by the lead actor, Brady is fantastic. You can sense that there's something wrong with this guy from the beginning even if you don't know the name of the movie. His relationship with Noura/Victoria is deliberately weird without any underlying chemistry between them. In fact, both the actors (both leads are the writers as well) are very emotive and also free with their bodies.The score is intense, the camera-work is voyeuristic, claustrophobic and acts like a peripheral vision effect throughout. Then there's the periodic throbbing strobes of blue and red light through transitions which drains you out, all of which are meant to showcase Simon's view of the world. This is almost an art movie. The ending with Noura still alive and Simon walking away thinking he had killed her was really inspired. What makes the movie though is the fact that Simon could be any regular guy you meet on the street, which makes you feel very uneasy for the safety of the people you know. A realistic take on a disorder very close to sociopathy and a good movie, but not really recommended for everyone. 7/10