Simón (2023) Film Review
The opening credits of Simón, the Venezuelan feature by Diego Vicentini that has won awards at several film festivals and has found a home on streaming services like Netflix, show a frantic birthday celebration. It’s loud, chaotic, but extremely uplifting in the pure style of Venezuelan celebrations. A bunch of young people in a classroom celebrate around a kid who wears sunglasses in the pitch dark and has cream all around his face. His scars aren’t visible, but they don’t have to be. This is trauma overlapping with a spirit that’s so naturally powerful that it’s undefeatable.
Then, in a few cuts, we find out why Juanchi is celebrating his birthday with an injury that will never be cured.
This is the memory that haunts Simón. It’s why he doesn’t let his nightmares be dreams. He wakes up to a loud bang on the door, meaning rest is only theoretical in his world, and he’s supposed to be doing something. Just like every other Venezuelan citizen must be, wherever they are, It’s fate violently knocking on the door of an apartment that he can’t possibly own, because that’s the way we grew up. Running away from reality and the incapacity to be normal.
In Simón, the title character has sought asylum in Miami. He’s informed that, if granted, he will never return to his home country, where he was a student who fought against the government and military personnel in past events. His heart is divided between the possibility of starting over in another country or going back home, where he will literally battle against the tyranny of the dictatorship installed more than 20 years ago.
Watch a trailer here.
The film does a great job at showing where he came from and why Simón is the way he is today. However, as realistic as his story appears to be, the film isn’t based on a specific true story of a Venezuelan refugee. You would be shocked to know that this is what happened to thousands of Venezuelans in one way or another. His trauma is our trauma, and we each dealt with it differently. What Simón does is blur the line between what Venezuelans should do and what they are driven to do. From each side, Simón is yelled at: he must go back and fight, and he should forget and start over. The trenches of guilt and optimism are dangerous, and his story runs on his experiences as a clever young man whose broken mind forces him to address the ghosts of the past.
The dramatic arc is simple but interesting. Simón has some action along the way, and it’s correctly tuned to the fictional aspect of Simón’s journey. But the film has been divisive over this “manipulation” of facts. But how do you tell thousands of stories on one channel? In my case, as a Venezuelan citizen, I had the capacity to observe the division between what I was supposed to believe and what I wanted to believe. Simón’s character arc is consistent, and the outcome combines well with a harrowing visit to hell itself, a situation that’s portrayed in the film and which will make some viewers shake.
What does “normal” mean in Simón’s world? What is normalcy for Venezuelans? Is there a difference between those who stayed and those who dared to escape? Of course there is. They live in completely different spheres of society. But inside, we’re still facing the trauma of conflict over the basics. All of us. Those who ran and those who stayed. Fighting isn’t the same from a physical perspective, but the struggle is imprinted in our hearts and minds as something we have to deal with every day. Just like it happens to Simón, dreams will never be dreams because nightmares will always lurk.
And yes, we should address ideology. It’s clear where the film stands in regard to its depiction of the authoritarian government that vehemently denies its execution and the murder of Venezuelans. Whether you believe what happens in this country or not, that’s up to you. There’s enough information (and footage) to draw conclusions. If you think it’s a lie, then you have to be pretty sure about where you stand. And no, you don’t stand in the side of truth and justice. Simón won’t make you change your mind, but it will make you think if you actually should.
