Simple Mind

Shannon: Today we have another short to bring to you, titled Simple Mind. It stars Timothy J. Cox and is directed by Phil Newsom. The short tells the story of a Bob (Cox) as he is sitting in his therapist’s office while he tells her this story. Needless to say Bob discovers many things about himself during the session. I for one thought it was an interesting concept, but what did you think about it David? What were your initial thoughts after watching this short?

David: I liked the concept a lot. I can’t say I necessarily loved the short in total, but it definitely took me by surprise. In fact, I think I liked most things about the short, besides the camerawork. I understand the reasoning behind it, but I feel like there were probably better ways to accomplish the same goal.

I really enjoyed the acting in this. Though we didn’t get to see much of Samantha, being able to see Bob from a variety of different angles really allows the expressiveness of Cox to come out. I particularly like one angle that shows Bob’s eyes shifting back and forth as he tells his tale. It allows the reader to follow along with each thing that Bob says, but still gives us the unsettling feeling that something is not quite right with this man.

I don’t normally mention props, but I would have to say that the red fuzzy slippers may have been one of my favorite props in recent memory. What did you think of the choice, in particular, of the red slippers, and what road it leads you down in regards to their color?

Shannon: The red slippers didn’t do anything for me. You know me, I watch films for the sake of being entertained. It’s not often that I find myself going down any philosophical roads or trying to comprehend a hidden message, unless it’s not hidden at all like some of the other shorts we’ve watched.

I agree with you about the acting though. Cox is great with all the expressions he utilizes during his session with the therapist. It definitely was able to keep the viewer watching and wanting to know “what’s up with this guy.” I too got the feeling that something wasn’t quite right with Bob from all the expressions used by Cox.

How do you think the title “Simple Mind” comes into play for this short and what it’s overall about?

David:  You go and say you don’t go down philosophical roads and then talk about the title - hm. Let’s see. I think that the title refers to the twist that is towards the end, which I don’t want to ruin to our viewers. But essentially I want to say that it’s about our mind’s ability to fashion a world for ourselves. Minds overall are extremely complicated, but they’re also really simple - they are computers that are meant to input data from our senses and translate it to meaning. Sometimes those signals get crossed.

Overall, I think Simple Mind shows that there is some intrigue to the story, but it’s not fully realized. I would say that I would like to see the story fleshed out a bit more so that the twist hits even harder in the end. For me right now, it’s a “B-”. What’s your rating Shannon?

Shannon: Yeah, yeah… I think I’ll give it an “okay” rating. It hasn’t been my favorite short we’ve watched, but it was still interesting and well acted. Thanks again to Timothy Cox for the submissions!