The purpose of the New Directors/New Films festival is to profile exciting new works by emerging talent across the world, a perfect description for Benjamin Crotty’s Fort Buchanan. Crotty, an American artist based in Paris, crafts a film that’s the sign of something fresh and distinct. Taking place on a French army base, Fort Buchanan follows Roger (Andy Gillet) as he stays behind while his soldier husband Frank (David Baiot) goes to work in Djibouti. Roger has little to do at the fort, aside from interacting with his abusive teenage daughter Roxy and the army wives waiting for their husbands to return.

In just over an hour, Crotty creates his own bizarre little world with Fort Buchanan. The fort itself is an area of sexual frustration, with the women eager to sleep with anyone they can find on the fort (including each other). Crotty also imbues his film with an off-kilter tone and sense of humour defying almost all conventions. There’s a sense of complete sincerity for every character, but Crotty regularly veers off into the realm of slapstick and surrealism. It’s a strange clash that feels like a direct mash-up between French arthouse and American indie.

Crotty’s balancing act doesn’t always work out in his favour, like when he tries shifting the narrative to a new character in the final act. But when it does work the results are hilarious and truly singular, a mishmash of styles and genres that work effortlessly. Fort Buchanan is the kind of debut that should get people excited; it’s original, strange, flawed, and brimming with potential. Most films have a hard time being this entertaining in two hours; Crotty does that and more in less than 65 minutes.

In Simon Killer, director Antonio Campos plays provocateur, giving us a protagonist who becomes so unlikable, so repulsive, you’re sure to leave the theater full of hatred and contempt for him. Campos’ film is thoroughly distressing, an exercise in discomfort that will be difficult to embrace for most, much like his first film, Afterschool. However, dismissing it as a purely unpleasant experience would be to overlook an expertly crafted film—it’s deeply sensuous, with intoxicating imagery and a seductive musical score. I was enthralled with it from beginning to end, but if you find Simon too ugly a person to watch, just remember—Simon Killer’s beauty lies in its form.

Simon (Brady Corbet) is a recent college grad from New York who, reeling from a recent breakup, has fled to Paris in search of—what else—love and sex. Bewildered by his new surroundings, he shuffles aimlessly around the city until he happens upon a kind-hearted prostitute named Victoria (Mati Diop) who he convinces to take him in, feed and clothe him (through some devious manipulation). Simon eventually hatches a foolish, half-baked extortion scheme that results in Victoria getting badly beaten (though this doesn’t stop him from cheating on her with another girl). A frightening, vicious side of Simon gradually emerges as his frustrations grow. His lies accumulate, his mind comes undone, and we steadily approach the grim implication of the film’s title.

As Simon’s actions become increasingly alarming, you can almost hear Campos whispering in your ear—“What if Simon did this? How about this?” He takes your patience for Simon—stretches it—and stretches it—and stretches it—until it inevitably snaps. When it snaps depends upon your tolerance for wickedness in people. I turned on Simon when he threw Victoria’s love in the garbage by sleeping around behind her back. However, you might turn on him in the opening scene, in which he refers to his ex-lover as a whore. Everyone’s breaking point will vary, which is Simon Killer‘s most intriguing quality. No matter where you draw the line morally, Simon steps over it and keeps walking—and walking—until you’ve got nothing left for him but disdain.

Corbet’s natural gifts are fully unleashed here—Campos gives him a lot of space to work his magic, and it’s clear that the two share the same sensibilities. The film hinges on Corbet’s performance, and the one he delivers is stirring, nuanced, and often shocking. He has nervous tics that are steadily amplified throughout the film until Simon resembles something like an abused, rabid animal. The most unforgettable of his idiosyncrasies are the long, guttural moans and groans he releases when he becomes upset, angry or nervous. They’re spine-tingling—half childlike, half bestial—and get louder and more primal as his emotions swell. Diop is effortlessly alluring and balances hard-nosed street-savvy with maternal sensitivity. She does a solid job of earning our sympathy and has natural chemistry with Corbet.

While Simon Killer’s ponderous pace can be trying at times, what helps the experience is Campos’ masterful technique. He moves his camera with finesse and deliberation—you can sense how much meticulous thought went into every shot, though the scenes still feel organic and un-staged. Campos twice returns to a still-life shot of a table in Victoria’s apartment which is at first clean. Later in the film, it’s littered with cocaine bags, half-eaten food, and used wine glasses. Campos focuses on the clutter for long takes while the characters chatter off screen. The film is full of inventive shots like this, with each of them more interesting than the last.

Campos and cinematographer Joe Anderson shoot Paris like’70s New York—there’s nothing saccharine or romantic about it. The camera is aimed low, never concerned with showcasing the picturesque scenery—its only focus is Simon and his actions. Interiors are lit with thick waves of color that saturate the screen like ink blotches. In a remarkable extended shot halfway through the film, Simon is gleefully dancing in a nightclub as the psychedelic, undulating lights he’s bathing in seem to lull him into a rapturous trance. There is a carnality to Simon Killer that’s truly unique.

The film’s soundtrack and score are used aggressively, to great effect. The music always reflects what’s going on in Simon’s head, and is sometimes literally the music he’s listening to—when he takes his headphones off, our music cuts out. When the camera follows Simon as he prowls the Parisian streets, a pounding tribal beat fills the speakers to convey his predatory mindset. When he dances lovingly with Victoria in her apartment (a welcome respite from the film’s thick tension), we hear the film’s soothing title song. The musical choices are all very functional in fleshing Simon out as a character. The percussive musical score and cool indie-pop soundtrack are as conflicting as his mental state, which is appropriate.

Simon Killer is a raw, primal film that will leave you emotionally and psychologically stripped. Though a feeling of unease and dissonance pervades it, its cinematic elements are immaculate. It’s not a perfect film—as a character study, it’s somewhat shallow—but at the end of the day, it will stick with you (in the ickiest way) for a good long while, and achieves this through pure, masterful cinema.

Remember to check out our two-part extended interview with director Antonio Campos. (Part 1 | Part 2)

Our favorite film from SF Indiefest this year, Simon Killer, finally has a trailer available to watch. The trailer gives you a taste of the discomfort as well as the hypnotic visuals that are found in Antonio Campos’ latest film. Simon Killer stars Brady Corbet (Melancholia, Martha Marcy May Marlene) as he travels to Paris after a recent breakup. Things begin to take a turn after he meets a prostitute named Victoria (Mati Diop) as they form a relationship that leads to a dangerous plan to extort Victoria’s clients.

Watch the official trailer for Simon Killer: