Simon of the Mountain

In 'Simón de la montaña', the debut film by Argentine director Federico Luis, the search for identity and belonging becomes an experience as intimate as it is unsettling. Simón, a 21-year-old young man, begins to spend time with a group of friends with disabilities. With them, he discovers, for the first time, the possibility of being fully himself, without judgments or restrictions. However, his close environment starts to perceive a disconcerting change: they no longer recognize the boy they once knew in him. The film thus poses a deep and provocative dilemma: what drives someone to want to transform into another, and how far does the notion of human capability extend?

Winner of the Grand Prize at the Cannes Critics' Week, the film has traveled through international festivals such as San Sebastián, Lima, Munich, and Montréal, establishing itself as one of the most original offerings in recent Latin American cinema. Starring Lorenzo Ferro, alongside Pehuén Pedre, Kiara Supini, Laura Nevole, and Agustín Toscano, the film is supported by a script written by Luis along with Tomás Murphy and Toscano. The cinematography by Marcos Hastrup, the editing by Murphy and Andrés Medina, the art direction by Nicolás Tavella, and the music by Hernán González Villamil create a work that is as sensitive as it is challenging.

Conceived as an open question, 'Simón de la montaña' does not seek closed answers, but rather invites the viewer to reflect on disability, empathy, and the blurred boundaries of identity.