WATCH THE FILM HERE
First, the Recap:
Oh the wonders of the human mind. Seemingly infinite in its ability, it takes our thoughts well beyond the physical, to create worlds of fantastical scope, or illustrate just how amazing even the most mundane things can be while providing a storehouse for all the knowledge gained. But, when plumbed, it can also reveal stunning truths about us that perhaps we didn’t want to know. Bob (Timothy J. Cox) is a calm, unpretentious, albeit haunted, man. Through therapy sessions, he begins to come out of his shell and start to open up about a certain experience he is dealing with.
Samantha (Kristi McCarson) is a beautiful woman Bob has admired from afar for too long. Finally gathering the nerve to approach her, it becomes apparent his actual motivation isn’t so innocent. As he continues, via flashback, to spill the escalation of events to his therapist, Bob’s manner becomes colder, edgier, and further agitated. The probing questions of the therapist drive him to reveal a much darker side of himself that he has never known, but also uncovers an even deeper, unsettling truth.
Next, my Mind:
At a mere 7+ minutes in length, it once again comes down to a short film’s ability to take that truncated timetable and present a story that both engages then maintains the interest of the viewer while still delivering a solid narrative. With “Simple Mind”, writer/director/producer Phil Newsom has successfully accomplished just that, providing a straight-forward, yet diabolically clever, character-based drama whose finale will punch you in the face. Filmed with an equally basic but intelligent cinematography and editing by Paul Nameck, it never gives anything away until intended.
Yet again, the always reliable Timothy J. Cox brings out his unstable inner child (lol) to play Bob as the, well, unstable, disturbed individual he is, and it is Cox’s solid performance that makes it all the more believable. Yeah, this guy can truly play creepy! Credit must also be given to lead actress Kristi McCarson in playing Samantha, the unwitting and tragic victim of Bob’s “fascinations”. She does this admirably given the amount of screen time she gets. Overall, “Simple Mind” will stand as one more example of how well done indie film can be when done by the right people.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
