Film

Simple Simon

A Swedish comedy about Simon, a young man with Asperger's who decides his brother needs a new girlfriend—and takes it upon himself to find her. It's warm and funny without being patronizing, finding genuine humor in neurodivergent perspective and the chaos of well-meaning interference. Sweet but unsentimental.

TMDb rating3.6

If you liked this

The Fundamentals of Caring2016

Paul Rudd and a young man with muscular dystrophy on a cross-country road trip. Manages both cringe comedy and real tenderness, letting its protagonist be difficult and valuable simultaneously.

But It pivots toward sentiment in the final act, and some will find the inspirational arc familiar territory.

The Fundamentals of Caring poster

Adam2009

A romance between a woman and a man with Asperger's that refuses easy answers. Awkward, sincere, genuinely interested in how different minds might connect and clash.

But It's quieter and sadder than Simple Simon; the relationship doesn't resolve into triumphant resolution.

Adam poster

Hunt for the Wilderpeople2016

A New Zealand comedy-drama about a gruff man and a foster kid on the run in the bush. Funny and moving without sentimentality, with a gift for character and landscape.

But The tonal shifts between comedy and darker drama won't work for everyone; some scenes land harder than others.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Simple Simon

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Petite Maman2021

Both films are rooted in how neurodivergence or difference creates a child's unique logic for the world. Simple Simon finds comedy in Simon's concrete, rule-bound perspective; Petite Maman finds wonder in a child's dreamlike version of adult relationships.

A French film where a young girl meets her mother as a child during a summer in the woods. It's like a fairy tale about time and love, achingly beautiful and genuinely magical.

But It's dreamlike and elliptical rather than narrative; if you need plot explanations, you'll be frustrated.

Petite Maman poster
More like this (7)

The Farewell2019

Awkwafina navigates family chaos when her grandmother gets a terminal diagnosis. It's hilarious and heartbreaking, dealing with grief, cultural difference, and how families actually talk to each other.

But The humor is rooted in specificity; if you're not in the headspace for cultural observation, it might feel slight.

The Farewell poster

Oslo, August 31st2011

A Norwegian film about a man's final day of freedom before returning to rehab. Gorgeously shot, funny and sad, observing how people actually interact on ordinary streets.

But It's deliberately paced and offers no redemption arc; the ending is quiet and open.

Oslo, August 31st poster

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World2012

Steve Carell and Keira Knightley, apocalypse coming, friendship growing. Genuinely funny about human connection when everything else falls away.

But The premise is bleak, and it never quite decides if it's comedy or drama, so the tone can feel uncertain.

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World poster

What We Do in the Shadows2014

Vampires in Wellington, New Zealand, trying to navigate modern flatmate drama. Endlessly inventive mockumentary humor with real affection for its goofball characters.

But The mockumentary format and comedy-horror blend won't appeal to everyone; it's very silly.

What We Do in the Shadows poster

The Art of Getting By2011

A teen drifter and a driven student meet and spark something unexpected. Observes adolescent longing with humor and specificity, avoiding the worst YA clichés.

But It's quiet and understated to the point where some will find it slow; nothing explodes.

The Art of Getting By poster

I Am Mother2019

Both feature someone trying to orchestrate a perfect life for someone else based on their own logic. Simon's matchmaking and the AI's protection spring from the same impulse: if I understand the rules perfectly, I can engineer happiness.

A woman raised by an AI in a bunker must reckon with what she's been told is true. Lean, intelligent sci-fi thriller that asks hard questions about care, control, and what we owe each other.

But It's bleak and philosophically dense, not comforting; the ending refuses catharsis.

I Am Mother poster

The Hunt2012

Both explore how the rules—social, unspoken, or imposed—govern who gets believed and protected. Simple Simon finds warmth in his literal adherence to rules; The Hunt shows us how those same social rules become weapons when everyone agrees to deploy them.

A Danish film where a teacher is falsely accused by a child, and a small town tears itself apart. Mads Mikkelsen is extraordinary. It's a scathing look at how groups destroy individuals.

But It's brutal and relentless; the cruelty is unflinching and there's no redemption for anyone, including the audience.

The Hunt poster

People

Cast

Directing

Writing

Production

Recommended by