Simón (2023 film) explained

Simón
Director:Diego Vicentini
Producer:Jorge González
Marcel Rasquin
Diego Vicentini
Editing:Diego Vicentini
Music:Freddy Sheinfeld
Cinematography:Horacio Martinez
Starring:Christian McGaffney
Studio:Black Hole Enterprises
Runtime:99 minutes
Country:Venezuela
United States
Language:Spanish
English
Budget:$35,756 (crowdfunding)
Gross:$282,432 (Venezuela)

Simón is a 2023 drama film written, directed, co-produced and edited by Venezuelan filmmaker Diego Vicentini. It is about a young Venezuelan protester, Simón, who, after being arrested and tortured during protests in his country, flees the country and seeks asylum in Miami, where he must decide whether to stay in the city or return to Venezuela. As filming took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, precautions were introduced, including frequent testing of the cast and crew, the strict use of masks and set sterilization between scenes, which added unforeseen costs to the production. Premiered at the Florida Film Festival, the feature film has received multiple awards, including Best Feature Film at the Venezuelan Film Festival and Best Narrative Feature at the Heartland International Film Festival. Simón is nominated for the 38th Goya Awards in the Best Ibero-American Film category.

Plot

During the protests in Venezuela, Simón (Christian McGaffney) and his companions are arrested and tortured. Forced to flee Venezuela, he becomes an asylum seeker and heads to Miami. Immigration informs him that once he is granted asylum, he will not be able to return to his country. Simón faces both trauma and guilt and must make the decision whether to stay in Miami and start a new life or return home to face tyranny.[1]

Cast

Production

The director, Diego Vicentini, produced a short film of the same name about the protests in Venezuela in 2017 as part of his thesis for his master's degree in film at the Los Angeles Film School. The short was released in 2018 in eight countries, and Vicentini decided to turn it into a feature film in the face of the unexpected positive reception. For the role of the protagonist, the director originally needed a bilingual Venezuelan in his twenties, which limited the options. Vicentini opted for the lead the same actor that he cast for the short film, Christian McGaffney.[2] Vicentini commented that he chose the name "Simón" to "attribute Bolívar's mythology to all these young people who are anonymous".[3] In 2019, Vicentini and Marcel Rasquin (also a film director who was later the producer of Simón) began fundraising to make a feature film of the story. Simón is Diego Vicentini's debut feature film.[4] He had written a total of 18 versions of the script prior to choosing a final version.[5]

The shooting of the feature film coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, which meant several logistical complications: the cast and crew were tested every three days, the use of masks was strict and the set was sterilized between scenes, representing additional and unforeseen costs for the production. In addition, there was the risk of the lead actor Christian McGaffney getting sick, resulting in the modification of a scene set in a crowded Miami nightclub, and the scene reduced the amount of extras from 250 to 30. The film was shot over the course of 28 days in 23 different locations.[2]

The prison setting was filmed in Redland, near Homestead, in southern Florida, where there is an abandoned city with deteriorating buildings. Actor Franklin Virgüez commented in an interview that he used the Stanislavski method to film the interrogation scene: when he moved from Barquisimeto to Caracas, he initially lived in a shanty house in Monte Piedad, on a hill where rats abounded and where he developed a phobia of them, so he imagined rats on Christian during the scene to evoke the desired emotions.[6] The film also featured a character inspired by Rufo Chacón, a 20-year old protester who lost both eyes after being shot with pellets in the face by police officers.[7]

Release

The feature film premiered on 15 April 2023 at the Florida Film Festival in Orlando,[1] and was subsequently screened at the Dallas International Film Festival. The movie premiered in July 2023 at the Venezuelan Film Festival.

Two days before its commercial release, Venezuelan outlets reported that a complaint was filed against the film in Venezuela's Public Ministry to prevent it from being screened in theaters, accusing it of promoting violence in the country.[8] [9] The following day, director Diego Vicentini announced that up to that date, he and his team had not received any notification or complaint against its screening in Venezuela and that the premiere was still scheduled for the same date.

Simón was commercially released on 7 September 2023 in Venezuela, in at least 34 theaters nationwide.[10] [11] For its international premiere, tickets in Madrid, Buenos Aires, Santiago de Chile and New York were sold out days before its screening. In Madrid, it became the Venezuelan feature film with the largest screening in Spain, with over 1,000 tickets sold.[12] By the end of the year, the film had become the highest-grossing film in Venezuela in the last six years, since 2016, after Papita 2da base.[13] [14]

It was announced that Simón would be available in Netflix starting in March 2024.[15] [16]

Reception

By August 2023, Simón had a 100% perfect score in Rotten Tomatoes. According to El Nacional, it was arguably the first time that a Venezuelan film had achieved the feat.[17] Luis Bond, from Diario las Américas, gave the film a 4 out of 5 rating and wrote, "It talks to us about the need to forgive —and forgive ourselves— to move forward, pointing out the fine line between running away and moving forward, resignation and acceptance, forgiveness and forgetting".[18] Abhishek Sharma, in Film Threat, rated the movie 8/10 and said, "Simón leaves us with a strong message that relays the hard-hitting reflection on reality."[19] Mike Massie wrote that the film was "not particularly creative, artistic, or original", though he noted that it was "a rare theatrical examination of tremendously important international conflicts and notions, which ought to be seen, even if the entertainment value of this specific project is medial", rating the film 6/10.[20] In The Independent Critic, Richard Propes stated that "McGaffney gives a riveting performance destined to be one of the year's finest."[21] Alan French, from Sunshine State Cineplex, wrote, "With a story as important as this one, Simón needed to show the true horrors of the dissident experience. Along the way, Vicentini proves himself one of the best young filmmakers on the rise."[22]

Simón was nominated for the Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature at the Florida Film Festival and won the Audience Award Winner for Best International Narrative Feature at the 2023 Dallas International Film Festival.[23] [24] At the Venezuelan Film Festival, the film received multiple awards, including "Best Feature", "Best Director", "Best Supporting Actor" (for Franklin Virgüez), "Best Cinematography", "Best Editing" and "Best Screenplay".[25] [26] [27] The film was not chosen as the country's candidate for the Academy Awards (the Oscars), obtaining 10 votes in favor, 12 against and two abstentions, which proved controversial at the time.[28] [29] [30] [31] [32] On 25 September 2023, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which presents the Academy Awards, asked to add the film's screenplay to its permanent library collection.[33] [34] On 17 October, Simón was awarded the Grand Prize for Best Narrative Feature at the Heartland International Film Festival.[35] [36] The Venezuelan Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences chose Simón to represent Venezuela in the 38th Goya Awards.[37] On 30 November, Simón was officially nominated to the 38th Goya Awards in the Best Ibero-American Film category.[38] [39] [40]

Accolades

YearAward / Film FestivalCategoryRecipient(s)Result
2023Dallas International Film FestivalBest International Narrative Feature Simón
Florida Film FestivalBest Narrative Feature
Heartland International Film FestivalBest Narrative Feature
Venezuelan Film FestivalBest Feature Film
Best DirectorDiego Vicentini
Best Supporting ActorFranklin Virgüez
Best CinematographyHoracio Martínez
Best EditingDiego Vicentini
Best Screenplay
202438th Goya Awards[41] Best Ibero-American FilmSimón
11th Platino Awards[42] Best Ibero-American Debut Film

See also

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Gonzalez . Leandro . 2023-03-24 . Christian McGaffney le tira a Venezuela con esta película estadounidense . 2023-07-17 . . es.
  2. News: Freitas . Alba . 14 April 2023 . Simón, un grito de libertad para sanar . . 29 June 2023.
  3. Web site: Blanca . Julio . 2023-04-22 . Película Simón, estrenada con éxito en Miami el 15Abr . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20230422182202/https://observadorlatino.com/noticias/entretenimiento/pelicula-simon/ . 2023-04-22 . 2023-07-17 . Observador Latino.
  4. Web site: Película Simón con Christian McGaffney pasarán en Florida . 2023-07-17 . 800Noticias.
  5. Web site: 2023-09-07 . Diego Vicentini: "Simón muestra heridas silenciosas y profundas que todos compartimos" . 2023-10-10 . El Estímulo.
  6. Web site: 2023-10-10. 2023-09-16. Franklin Virgüez: "Al gobierno no le conviene prohibir Simón". El Estímulo.
  7. Web site: Zambrano . Francisco . 2023-09-16 . Diego Vicentini: "Ha sido una sorpresa que Simón no haya sido censurada" . 2023-11-30 . . es . Hay un personaje que es un homenaje a Rufo Chacón, espero que a todos los venezolanos les recuerde a Rufo, quien es uno de los miles que han sufrido a manos de este régimen..
  8. Web site: 2023-09-05 . Quieren censurar la película "Simón" para evitar su estreno . They want to censor the movie "Simón" to prevent its release . 2023-09-06 . . Por Mi Madre . es.
  9. News: Cazadores de Fake News . 12 September 2023 . Lo que sabemos de la supuesta denuncia en contra de la película "Simón" . What we know about the alleged complaint against the movie "Simon". . Cazadores de Fake News .
  10. News: 31 August 2023 . Simón llega a las salas de cine en septiembre . es . . 5 September 2023.
  11. Web site: 2023-09-14 . Simón, la cinta que triunfa en Venezuela y también agota las entradas en el extranjero . Simón, the film that triumphs in Venezuela and also sells out abroad . 2023-09-17 . . es . El Impulso.
  12. Web site: 2023-09-11 . 'Simón' arrasa en el exterior: se agotaron las entradas en cuatro ciudades . 'Simon' sweeps abroad: sold-out in four cities . 2023-09-17 . . es.
  13. News: 3 December 2023. Brizuela. 31 October 2023. Ariany. El Nacional. Diego Vicentini: Quiero que Simón sea recordada como el registro de algo que quedó en el pasado.
  14. Web site: 2023-12-03. 2023-11-07. 'Simón', la película más taquillera y premiada en Venezuela, candidata a los Goya y los Forqué - Cine y Tele. Cine&Tele.
  15. Web site: 2024-02-03 . Película "Simón" estará disponible en marzo en el catálogo de Netflix . . es.
  16. News: 3 February 2024 . Netflix dispondrá la película Simón en su catálogo desde marzo . El Nacional.
  17. Web site: 31 August 2023 . Simón llega a las salas de cine en septiembre . 3 September 2023 . El Nacional.
  18. Web site: 2023-08-17 . Simón: tragedia, diáspora y perdón . 2023-09-05 . . es.
  19. Web site: 2023-04-27 . Simón . 2023-09-05 . Film Threat.
  20. Web site: Twins . The Massie . 2023-05-02 . Simon (2023) - Movie Review / Film Essay . 2023-09-05 . Gone With The Twins . en-US.
  21. Web site: The Independent Critic - Movie Review: Simón . 2023-09-05 . The Independent Critic.
  22. Web site: French . Alan . 2023-04-15 . 2023 Florida Film Festival: 'Simón' - A Powerful Story of Venezuelan Dissident . 2023-09-05 . Sunshine State Cineplex . en-US.
  23. Web site: Movie Review: Simón . 2023-07-18 . The Independent Critic.
  24. Web site: 2023-05-24 . Dallas International Film Festival Announces Grand Jury Prizes and Audience Awards . 2023-07-18 . Dallas Film.
  25. News: González Mendoza. Isaac. Simón gana los premios a Mejor Película y Mejor Director del Festival del Cine Venezolano. El Nacional. 14 July 2023. 18 July 2023.
  26. Web site: Fernández . Valeria . 2023-07-14 . Película "Simón" arrasa en el Festival de Cine Venezolano . 2023-07-18 . .
  27. Web site: 2023-07-18 . Película "Simón" arrasa en Festival de Cine Venezolano con 4 premios . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20230718111327/www.laverdad.com/arteyocio/215642-pelicula-simon-arrasa-en-festival-de-cine-venezolano-con-4-premios.html. 2023-07-18 . 2023-07-18 . Diario La Verdad.
  28. Web site: 2023-10-10. 2023-09-29. Andreína. es. B. Director de la película Simón denunció irregularidades en el proceso de selección a los Premios Oscar. El Diario.
  29. Web site: 2023-10-10. 2023-09-29. Francisco. Zambrano. "Simón" quedó fuera del Oscar y denuncian irregularidades en selección de película que representará a Venezuela. Runrunes.
  30. Web site: Sánchez Amaya . Humberto . 7 October 2023 . La sombra del sol, la venezolanidad en una película . 2023-10-26 . Crónica Uno.
  31. News: 3 December 2023. 2 October 2023. El Pitazo. Director de película "Simón" se disculpa: "Pude haber sido más cuidadoso con mis palabras".
  32. News: 3 December 2023. Rivas. 2 October 2023. Elías. El Cooperante. Director de "Simón" pide disculpas por efecto negativo de su denuncia a "La Sombra del Sol".
  33. News: 3 December 2023. 26 September 2023. El Nacional. El guión de Simón estará en la biblioteca permanente de los Oscar.
  34. News: 3 December 2023. Castro. 26 September 2023. Marcela. El Cooperante. "Simón" llegará a los Oscars: el guion estará disponible en la biblioteca de La Academia.
  35. Web site: 2023-12-03. 2023-10-17. Heartland International Film Festival Winners Announced for 2023 Including Simón and We Dare to Dream. MovieMaker.
  36. Web site: 2023-12-03. 2023-10-16. Clara. es. Trueba. Película Simón ganó premio Heartland en Indianapolis. Somos Tu Voz.
  37. News: 19 August 2023 . Simón representará a Venezuela en los Premios Goya . es . . 5 September 2023.
  38. Web site: 2023-11-30 . Nominada a los Goya "Simón", la cinta que plasmó la represión a protestas en Venezuela . 2023-12-03 . Runrunes.
  39. Web site: 2023-11-30 . Película "Simón" competirá por Venezuela en los Premios Goya . 2023-12-04 . Tal Cual.
  40. News: 30 November 2023 . Película Simón es nominada a los premios Goya . 3 December 2023 . El Pitazo.
  41. Web site: Premios Goya 2024 Palmarés completo: todos los ganadores de la gran noche de 'La sociedad de la nieve'. Cinemanía. 20minutos.es. 11 February 2024.
  42. Web site: 'La sociedad de la nieve' lidera las nominaciones de los Premios Platino del Cine Iberoamericano 2024. Cinemanía. 20minutos.es. 14 March 2023.