Simon (1980) Spoiler-Free Summary – What It's About

In a near‑future where a well‑funded think tank thrives on manipulation and media frenzy, a group of scientists devise a controversial project: they will convince a single individual that he is not a human being at all, but a living emissary from another world. Their lab, equipped with a sentient computer called Doris, becomes the engine of a far‑reaching social experiment that blurs the line between scientific inquiry and covert propaganda, hinting at a society willing to rewrite reality for the sake of control.

Simon Mendelssohn, a seasoned professor of psychology, is chosen as the test subject. Abandoned at birth and driven by a personal fascination with consciousness, he spends his days in an isolation tank, seeking to map the evolution of thought from the simplest cells to modern minds. His scholarly curiosity makes him both an ideal candidate and a reluctant pawn, as the institute’s relentless conditioning begins to overlay his own introspections with alien narratives.

By his side is Lisa, a determined partner whose affection for Simon is rooted in both love and a shared skepticism of the institute’s motives. Their relationship adds a human counterweight to the sterile, ultra‑scientific environment, offering moments of tenderness amid an otherwise cold, procedural world. Together, they navigate a maze of suggestion, authority, and the ever‑present hum of surveillance, each questioning what it means to belong to a species.

The film’s tone balances unsettling psychological dread with darkly satirical commentary on a culture that embraces grandiose visions of progress without questioning the cost. It paints a picture of a society teetering on the edge of obedience and rebellion, where the very act of believing becomes a battlefield. Within this fragile tableau, Simon and Lisa embody the tension between prescribed identity and the primal desire to define oneself.