Simon (1980) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

The Institute for Advanced Concepts is a well-funded think tank located in the United States. It serves as the primary location where scientists orchestrate their manipulation schemes and conduct the controversial brain-washing experiment on Simon.

• institute
• location
• think tank
• scientists

The Institute for Advanced Concepts is a research organization run by Dr. Carl Becker that conducts unethical psychological experiments. It functions as a think tank where a small group of scientists develop and execute manipulation schemes, including the plan to convince Simon he is an alien.

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• scientists
• dr becker
• experiment
• think tank

The commune is a separate group that reveres a talking television as a deity. They use a high-powered transmitter to broadcast their beliefs, representing the film's satirical critique of mass media's influence on belief systems and community. The commune leader (Adolph Green) heads this group.

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The movie explores three interconnected themes: Mind Control (how brainwashing and media manipulation shape public perception), Identity (Simon questioning whether he is a person or a manufactured tool), and Media & Power (television as weapon, religion, and tool for manufacturing national narratives).

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• mind control
• identity
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• power

The Mind Control theme examines how scientists engineer mass hysteria by controlling what Simon believes and broadcasts. Through brainwashing, hypnotic suggestions, and media manipulation, the film reveals how easily public perception can be shaped when a single individual becomes a national focal point.

• mind control
• brainwashing
• hysteria
• manipulation
• scientists

The Identity theme follows Simon's struggle to determine whether he is a person or a manufactured tool. Lisa's insistence on his humanity and the revelation of her pregnancy force him to redefine who he is beyond the role the scientists assigned him, challenging his sense of self.

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• simon
• lisa
• humanity
• pregnancy

The Media & Power theme portrays television as both a weapon and a religion, the 'magic box' that can make or break a person's reality. The film critiques the commodification of information and how mass media can manufacture heroes, scares, and national narratives.

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• television
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Simon Mendelssohn (played by Alan Arkin) is a psychology professor who becomes the test subject for a controversial brain-washing experiment. He evolves from an isolation tank experiment to a public celebrity, triggering a crisis of identity as his supposed alien origins and abilities were planted by the scientists.

• simon
• professor
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Lisa (played by Judy Graubart) is Simon's girlfriend who believes in his humanity and resilience. She travels with him while trying to ground him in reality, eventually revealing her pregnancy to anchor their future. Her loyalty and love provide the emotional counterweight to the scientists' manipulation.

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• girlfriend
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Dr. Carl Becker (played by Austin Pendleton) is the head of the Institute for Advanced Concepts who orchestrates the plan to weaponize Simon's supposed alien origin. He justifies unethical experiments with a sense of scientific progress, but his actions trigger desperate responses from the military and Lisa, ultimately driving the film's climax.

• dr becker
• scientist
• head
• institute
• orchestrator

Doris is the Institute's sentient or semi-sentient computer that conducts a national search for an asset to exploit. It serves as the operational brain behind the scheme, orchestrating broadcasts and data gathering for the scientists' manipulation experiments.

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The action shifts from the United States to Canada as Simon and Lisa seek safety from the Institute and military pursuit. This cross-border movement reflects the broader collision between media power, science, and national borders that the film critiques, showing how far Simon must run to escape the manipulation.

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