Simon (2004)

A mild-mannered gay dentist and a hedonist womanizer rekindle their unlikely friendship when the latter's terminal cancer drives them back together after a decade apart.

Director:

Eddy Terstall

Writer:

Eddy Terstall (screenplay)

Stars:

Cees Geel, Marcel Hensema, Rifka Lodeizen

8 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Cees Geel	...	Simon Cohen
Marcel Hensema	...	Camiel Vrolijk
Rifka Lodeizen	...	Sharon
Nadja Hüpscher	...	Joy
Eva Duijvestein	...	Ellen
Daan Ekkel	...	Marco
Dirk Zeelenberg	...	Bram
Stijn Koomen	...	Nelson
Johnny de Mol	...	Floris (as Johnny de Mol jr.)
Maria Kooistra	...	Gwen
Femke Lakerveld	...	Adrienne
Natasja Loturco	...	Astrid, Camiel's Assistant
Araba Walton	...	Gisela
Medi Broekman	...	Priscilla
Dennis Rudge	...	Sjimmie

Storyline

Enterprising liberal Jew Simon Cohen is the lawless lord of an Amsterdam neighborhood, running a 'coffee' shop' (legal soft drugs sale). As soon as they bump into each-other, Simon fascinates gay, up to then conventionalist Jewish dentistry student Camiel Vrolijk and draws him into his libertine world, even all the way to Thailand for B-movie making. Having seduced Simon's whorish girl, embarrassed Simon leaves quietly. Ten years later, the dentist, now settled with a gay partner, lawyer Bram, meets the new cancer-terminal but affluent Simon again.

---

Plot Keywords:

character name as title | one word title | forename as title | illegitimate child | buddha | 

---

Taglines:

Hij verandert je leven (He will change your life)

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

---

Certificate:

TV-MA

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie's budget was so low, that many of the actors (personal friends of director Eddy Terstall) worked for free. Multiple scenes had to be filmed each day, so most scenes needed to be filmed in one take. According to Terstall, the scenes shot at the end of each day, when cast and crew started to get weary, were often of poorer quality as a result.

---

Goofs

When Joy and Floris are descending the stairs at the wedding, he is on her right side, but in the next shot he is suddenly on her left.

---

Connections

References Back to the Future (1985)

User Reviews

Convincing movie with a lot of humor and emotions

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

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Netherlands]

Country:

Netherlands

Language:

Dutch English German Thai

Release Date:

30 September 2004 (Netherlands)

Also Known As:

Симон

Filming Locations:

57 Van Eeghenstraat, Oud-Zuid, Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

Box Office

Budget:

EUR1,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,453, 9 April 2006

Gross USA:

$4,055

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,107,774

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fortissimo Films, Spaghetti Film, Vrijzinnig Protestantse Radio Omroep (VPRO)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1