Simon

This movie is about a wide variety of emotions, topics and people. The dialogs are brilliant. Simon has a hilarious sense of humor, but his character, like the others in the movie, is still very well portrayed. All typical dutch subjects like gay-marriage, soft-drugs, euthanasia, etc., are handled in a way that it is still convincing. The last part, where euthanasia becomes the main topic, is where the movie rises above a good comedy and becomes a great comedy/drama instead. The acting in the last part is so brilliant that it almost feels like it is shot for real.

Certainly a movie to recommend, and I think that even when it is translated (with a possible loss of dialog)it is still a movie worth seeing! But see a subtitled version and not a synchronized voice-over version, for the latter will be terrible

SIMON is a little jewel of a film. In a manner more typically Dutch than most it is an exploration of the interaction of two men, opposites in almost every way except in their potential power of friendship.

Camiel is a gay, tender, polite, dental student while Simon is straight, seemingly critical of gay aspects (though always with tongue in cheek), noisy, outspoken, crafty, boisterous and a bit crude café owner. The two collide in an accident, an act that bonds them inextricably, and the film shows the two polar opposites reconnecting fourteen years later when Simon is dying of cancer and calls upon all his resources and involves Camiel in the difficult process of life's ending. Simon's strength of character (despite his previous outwardly bombastic and crude manner) gives Camiel much to learn - and gives the audience some touching and tender thoughts on which to dwell. The film is a fun, at times naughty, smart, and ultimately life-affirming tale about the importance of friendship and family...and a strong sense of humor...that are the stuff that allow us to survive even the most difficult of moments in life.

The entire cast is excellent but the performances by Cees Geel as Simon and Marcel Hensema as Camiel Vrolijk are worthy of awards. This is an extravagantly fun film, completely open and honest about its sexuality, that results in a memorable emotional experience for the viewer. In Dutch with English subtitles. Grady Harp

This movie is about an unlikely friendship. Right at the start of it you learn that one of them is gay and polite, and the other is an outspoken, humorous heterosexual that has cancer, and might die sometime soon. The movie then goes back and forth along some fourteen years, starting with the day these guys met.

Sounds simple? You are in for some surprises. This is not just a film about a guy that is quite obnoxious and irresistibly lovely at the same time. It is also about being yourself, shy or not, and living in a country that has more tolerance to cultural diversity. But mostly about this man that always tries to do the right thing, and enjoy his life, and have a laugh with his friends, even as it looks like death might come sooner than expected. I love this guy. And the Netherlands never looked that much beautiful on film.

This is not only the best dutch movie that I have ever seen, but one of the most moving movies that I have ever seen. Great picture of dutch society, on extraordinarily interesting people, full of great humor and sadness, and most importantly on life and death (parallel to the last two). This film is FULL in every way that a film should and can be. It is the heart-filling and heart-wrenching story of one of the most extraordinarily human lives (beautifully acted) ever put on film. It is about Simon, his fast life, his loved ones, and his chosen death. It is also about the truly free society, where all can choose their life and their death for themselves. It is a portrait of a culture of personal responsibility, love, and life that is so needed everywhere. It will make you think, laugh and cry. When and if you can, see this picture, you won't be disappointed. It's one of the greats.

As the Tagline says: Simon will change your life.

This film is extremely well elaborated. Without spoiling the movie for you, basically, Simon is a sad story between a drug-dealing, "living la vida loca" young man, and a gay man he unexpectedly met.

14 years later, they meet again, but this time, the situation is totally different.

The filmmakers do an excellent job at the beginning of the movie, that is, making people dive deep into the story, the characters and the general atmosphere. This has as consequence, later after the middle of the movie, that the filmmakers start playing with the audience's emotions, leveraging on all the details presented during the beginning to force the audience into the main topic of the movie.

The second half of the movie is the sad part of it. There, the lives of all the people involved are bound together by an unexpected tragedy. The film has an obvious ending, but during that time, the audience's feelings and emotions are constantly touched and moved. This emotional play is perfect for the deep meanings of the movie: a reflexion and the presenting of different perspectives of homosexuality, drugs, sex and eutanasia.