SIMON KILLER New Auteurs

Antonio Campos’ sophomore effort follows recent graduate Simon as he travels to Paris to escape the fallout from a former relationship. No matter how hard he tries, Simon can’t seem to shake the past and feelings of lost love. Instead, he fills his days traveling the streets and taking in the sites, while composing letters to his ex-girlfriend, engaging in chat room sex and hitting on girls in the streets. When he meets a beautiful prostitute and falls in love, everything begins to unravel and we discover that Simon is harboring some dark secrets. Writer director Campos has created a compelling character in Simon, who is both charming and emotionally stunted – a breakout lead role for Brady Corbet, who expertly balances the dualities of the character with just the right amount of charisma and callousness. Campos’ follow-up to AFTERSCHOOL (AFI FEST 2008) further demonstrates his ability as an auteur, engaging audiences with truly visionary films that are beautifully peppered with distinctive camerawork, editing and style.