The Search For Simon (DVD review).
It’s not Science Fiction as we know it. ‘The Search For Simon’ is a strange and compelling movie about the obsession of a man looking for his lost brother who, 30 years before, had apparently been abducted by aliens. Martin Gooch, also the writer, producer and director, plays the part of David, a somewhat single-mindedly dull person, who thinks that anything not connected to the cosmos is inherently irrelevant.
There are other people in this life, his mother (played by former Monty Python star Carol Cleveland) plus lots of other characters he meets on his travels. His life was so bad that he attempted suicide, only to be rescued by a lottery win intervention, his mother running upstairs with the ticket to find David on the point of death from an overdose. The money was sufficient for him to travel the world in search for Simon. As you would expect, his searches were unsuccessful and we can all guess at the real reason why Simon disappeared. David is running, constantly running from the truth, using the obsession to hide the facts.
He meets a psychiatrist writing a book about obsession and in doing so has an encounter with a girl who seems to like him. Other associates are thoroughly sick and tired of his antics and frankly, as the movie progresses, the viewer begins to share their opinion. David is such a boring individual, devoid of personality and extremely tedious to be with. While there are flying saucers and an alien chucked in, they are diversions to the real plot which is all about a psychological condition and the ultimate redemption of sin behind the truth.
The acting throughout was very good, interesting and absorbing and while some characters were rather stereotyped, overall performances capture attention throughout. There were many humorous moments, including the landing of a mushroom-shaped flying saucer which squashed an unfortunate cow and also the on-line geek who wasn’t all what he seemed. The introduction of a government department with the acronym of BASTARDD was largely irrelevant.
David joins the Failed Suicide Club, which has a rather enigmatic name and a strange lot of members, where he meets Sally. She’s a bit of an oddball but that’s good because it enables her to form a sort of relationship with David. She doesn’t think he’s a nutter but despite her attempts to show that she is interested, it could all be taking place on a different planet. That’s where David’s mind resides. It certainly is not on Earth.
Was Simon found? It was a long search taking 30 years but there is a conclusion of sorts. It is not a film which makes fun out of a demented person and the scenes where David loses the plot are handled with some compassion. Many people will look at this and see themselves or others, even if only in a watered-down form and, overall, it is a movie about the human condition. It also takes you into the real world of the alien hunter, showing you all the ludicrous things this creature gets up to. Out there in the world there are actual people with obsessions on aliens and abduction and despite all logical attempts to persuade them otherwise, they still believe in this fantasy world. It is a movie which is certainly worth watching and one to propel the director/writer to new heights. Yes, it’s a sad movie. Sad and ludicrously funny! One to watch!
The MVD edition has plenty of extra material. They are as follows:-
Pop Music Video ‘Searching For Simon’ performed by London band, The Priscillas
A featurette showing David and the crazy people he interviewed on a more in-depth quest for his brother Simon
A director’s commentary from Writer/Producer/Director Martin Gooch and his mum and dad (Peter and Joy)
Interviews and a discussion on Alien Bogies.
Vlogs following the behind the scenes process of making the film with some really strange people, how the film was made and how the locations were found, how the actors were discovered and the green screen and VFX shot.
13+ Deleted Scenes and 2 secret unnamed Vlogs
Rod MacDonald
October 2014
(region 1 DVD: pub: MVD Group. 1 DVD 96 minute film with extras. Price $12.95 (US). ASIN: B00JXNTMPY)
cast: Sophie Aldred, Lucy Clements, Carol Cleveland, Millie Reeves, Noeleen Comiskey, Jonathan Hansler, Simon Jones, Ian Livingstone, Chase Masterson and Tom Price
check out website: www.mvdb2b.com