سيمو (Simo)
2022 · 23m · Canada
Directed by Aziz Zoromba
Genres: coming-of-age, drama, family
Tones: contemplative, melancholic, tender
After a racist incident hijacks their online gaming livestream, two Egyptian-Canadian brothers and their single father navigate the fallout together, finding resilience and renewed closeness in the face of outside hostility.
Picked by Margot
The scouts
Aftermath-of-racist-incident family drama that mirrors sibling conflict through a video game — that mirror-device is genuinely clever and the New Yorker-grade emotional restraint is welcome. Solid.
Aziz Zoromba refuses to depict the racist incident directly, mirroring sibling conflict through the video game — that double formal restraint is sophisticated dramaturgy. The New Yorker placement is well-earned.
Twenty-three minutes focusing entirely on the aftermath of a racist livestream incident rather than depicting it, mirroring the brothers' real-world sibling conflict through the video game they play together — that elision-plus-doubling is exactly the screenplay craft that elevates this kind of material. New Yorker Screening Room placement.
Reviews
There is nary a false or superfluous emotional beat in Simo and despite little that is truly novel in the film, Zoromba has nonetheless crafted one of the most exquisite family dramas of recent memory.
A very well-made drama with superb acting and nice touches, like how the video game is mirrored in real life.
Festivals
- Toronto International Film Festival 2022, Best Canadian Short Film (Short Cuts Award / IMDbPro Short Cuts Prize)
- Sundance Film Festival 2023, Best International Fiction Short (Vimeo Award)
- Berlin International Film Festival 2023
- Festival du Nouveau Cinéma 2022
- Palm Springs ShortFest 2023
- Whistler Film Festival 2022
- Canadian Screen Awards 2023, Best Live Action Short Drama
- Prends Ça Court Gala 2023, Denis Villeneuve Coup de Coeur Award