Rating- * * * * (4/5)
I think a lot of viewers passed over this film because of preconceived notions that it was about aliens or had some science-fiction basis for it (not that there’s anything wrong with that; it’s just not for everybody). This film is not at all about science, but it is not entirely void of the supernatural. The film follows the studies of a psychiatrist (Jeff Bridges) working at the Manhattan Institute for Mental Health and his attempts to diagnose and uncover the mysteries of a mysterious new patient called Prot (Kevin Spacey). Prot claims to be from the planet K-PAX and says that he traveled to Earth on a beam of light. He always wears sunglasses because “the light on your planet is just too bright,” and he refuses to eat anything but fruit, which he eats every piece of (apple cores, banana peels, etc.). At first, the psychiatrist believes Prot to be delusional, but he is so convincing and so seemingly sane that the psychiatrist begins to ponder in his mind whether or not Prot might really be what he says he is. In one particularly memorable scene, Prot is taken to a group of astrophysicists in order for them to prove that the planet which he comes from cannot exist. However, when Prot draws a diagram and shows the calculations to the scientists, they are astonished to find that Prot has knowledge of the universe that is only able to be known if one has traveled extensively throughout it. Meanwhile, at the mental hospital Prot easily convinces the other patients that he is from K-PAX and begins to give them tasks that will supposedly help them overcome their illnesses. The patients follow him as if they were his disciples and as time goes on, some of them begin to get better. To get to the bottom of the mystery once and for all, the psychiatrist decides to put Prot through hypnotic regression therapy to find out things about his past. What happens next I will not reveal but I will say that it leads to information that may leave you with some doubts about the nature or even the existence of Prot. Kevin Spacey does a fantastic job as the seemingly infinitely wise Prot and makes him one of the great characters of the year. He is very lovable and compassionate, but yet very cerebral and intelligent at the same time. Jeff Bridges also does a good job as the confused psychiatrist and his emotions towards the case mirror our own and thus provides us with a good sympathetic character for the film. The story’s ending is very ambiguous, as it is intended to be, and we never really find out for sure what happened but we can guess and discuss why, which gives the movie a great amount of value as a conversation piece, a cultural talking point. Does it really matter where Prot is from as long as he fights for what he believes in? Do the solutions to our problems come from others, or from ourselves? These are some of the questions raised by this film and although they are not answered, the fact that they are even asked adds a great deal of value to the film. I would recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys having something to think and talk about after a movie and to those who don’t mind not having a clear-cut, ready-to-serve resolution at the end. Keep in mind though that this is not just an intellectual film; it is mostly about the characters, what they feel, what they think, and how they act. In that sense, this is a beautiful, human film about following your convictions and opening your mind to possibilities beyond those that are logical.