Like seemingly the rest of the world today, Bob (Timothy J. Cox) is struggling emotionally. As he sits through a therapy session he begins to learn things about himself that he never thought was possible. As the session continues and the realities of his Simple Mind rise to the surface, Bob is faced with a paralyzing truth. Stay tuned to see if Bob can resolve his issue.
Simple Mind is one of the more twisted films I’ve seen in some time, keeping me at the edge of my seat. In just the seven minutes it takes to tell the story of Bob, I thought to myself at least a dozen times that I knew what was occurring--I did not! Writer-director Phil Newsom never relents, and I can’t tell you how many times, for sure, that I was wrong about the course of the story, but I was never disappointed. The things I assumed were only outdone by the reality of the film, and I’m genuinely impressed by all that Cox, Kristi McCarson, and Newsom are able to perpetuate throughout the course of Simple Mind.
The cinematography plays a significant role in keeping viewers guessing and engaged throughout Simple Mind. A series of extreme closeups and over-the-shoulder shots maintain mystery in the film. As the film plays out it seems as if viewers are receiving all of the information they need in order to follow along--even if they have to read between the lines a bit, everything is available to them (or so it seems). Mystery is born not just by the expressive acting, but by the astute performance by cinematographer Paul Namek. He ultimately becomes the heart and soul of Simple Mind as he’s able to (with the support of Newsom of course) keep the unease and mystery present throughout the course of the film. I feel that it’s not often enough that cinematographers get the recognition they deserve for the pivotal role they play in a film. It’s their job to capture everything that everyone else had worked on so diligently and help bring to life the performances exuded by the cast, and Namek does just that. He is able to capture the essence of what is being conveyed as well as every subtle nuance uttered by Cox, making this one of the most impressive cinematographic performances I’ve seen in a while.
Simple Mind is driven by emotion and the human psyche, and that becomes clear in the opening seconds of the film. Everyone collaborates beautifully to create a riveting story of emotion and conviction that entertains from the start. I’m impressed by everything that goes into Simple Mind and believe that this could have potentially been a feature-length film. While I love the concise nature of Simple Mind and that viewers are so quickly rewarded, the intensity present in the film would have also made for a wonderfully engaging and emotionally-driven feature film, and I certainly believe that it would have found success in that lane as well. Simply put: Simple Mind is spectacular; a film that I will show all of my friends.
Written & Directed by Phil Newsom.
Starring Timothy J. Cox & Kristi McCarson.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
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