SIMON SAYS

Gideon Banks lost his wife Liz and his son Simon in a horrific car accident some twenty years ago. At the time of the accident he was involved in something called the Neural Archiving Project - NAP for short. The technology was developed to create smart computers - transferring human engrams to the drivers of computers. The company eventually gave up on the technology, but Gideon didn't. After years of quietly perfecting it, he built a small robot, from parts he stole from Concorde Robotics, where he now works. Zoe, Gideon's niece who lives down the hall, is going through trials and tribulations of her own. Involved in a bitter custody battle over her daughter, she leans on Uncle Gideon for support. But when she discovers Gideon's secret, (the robot contains actual neural engrams from the real Simon) she becomes worried not only about Gideon - but about this creepy little thing that sounds and acts a lot like her little cousin used to. The robot is eventually given mobility via a makeshift wheelchair that Gideon builds and embarks on a string of terrifying mishaps. At one point, when Zoe is asked to "baby-sit," the little creature goes berserk when he asks to be taken to the merry-go-round and Zoe won't oblige. Eventually, Zoe comes to learn that this Simon is not "evil," just a "kid" trapped in a body that is too strong for its own good. Things take a turn for the worse, however, when Gideon is discovered stealing from the company by his boss Ron Hikida. Gideon, fearing he will lose access to the parts he still needs to make Simon whole, brings Ron home to meet him in hopes of keeping the secret quiet. When Ron sees the robot, he realizes it's the result of NAP technology - and because Simon was built with all stolen parts, he claims the little robot to be the property of Concorde Robotics. But when he tries to take Simon, Gideon reacts like a mother bear protecting her young and inadvertently kills Ron. Because Zoe was involved, they're both at risk of never seeing their children again.
 
 

Directed by: Helen Shaver          Written by: Scott Peters

Starring: Joel Grey, Mikela J. Mikael and Hiro Kanagawa

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