Man Facing Southeast
Encyclopedia
Man Facing Southeast is a Spanish-language motion picture originally released in Argentina in 1986 as Hombre mirando al sudeste.
' José Borda Psychiatric Hospital. Much like its surrounding Constitución
borough, the institution combines quaintness and faded elegance with cold rationalist structures and more than a little dilapidation. A senior staff psychiatrist, Dr. Julio Denis (played by Lorenzo Quinteros
) is surprised by news that the hall he supervises, a pavilion for non-violent delusional cases, has one patient too many.
Informed that the stranger is in the chapel, Dr. Denis finds the cavernous, modern structure filled with the sound of a virtuoso organ
performance unlike the hospital had been treated to since losing its chapel organist to budget cutbacks, years earlier. Summoning him (Hugo Soto
) to his office, the man's speech is measured and articulate as he explains his presence there as a result of an image being projected from light years away. He introduces himself as "Rantés" (as exotic a name in Argentina as it would be in the United States, for instance), and this convinces Dr. Denis that yet another fugitive has snuck into the hospital in the hope of evading the law. The patient stays, however, and, though Dr. Denis approves of Rantés' caring touch for the other patients, his claims bemuse the doctor, who now suspects the man is a genius using his talents as a charade.
Julio Denis is a highly professional, though lonely, man, whose recent divorce left him with a jaded attitude towards life and even his work. His wife having remarried, he must settle for brief, weekly outings with his two children and grainy home movie
s of their days as a happy family, which he views almost nightly in his new apartment with his saxophone to console him. Rantés, far from oblivious to the wounded Dr. Denis, takes as much of an interest in his troubles as the doctor takes in Rantés, who becomes "the first patient in a long time" that has interested him at all. Believing his claim to be a "projected hologram" an allusion to Adolfo Bioy Casares
' novel, Morel's Invention, Dr. Denis concludes that this genius is also very well-read and, impressed, soon uses his senior staff prerogatives to include Rantés in outings to cafés and even a visit to a touring Moscow State Circus
performance with the two children.
Rantés is no ordinary man, his claims notwithstanding. Possessing a psychokinetic gift, he quickly finds ways to explore the city on his own and without permission. Compassionate to a fault, he uses this gift to the benefit of the hungry, narrowly skirting problems with the law. He spends endless hours standing motionless in the hospital commons, facing southeast. His answers always cryptic, he contends that he does this to receive "transmissions from his planet" and that, far from hallucinating, he is but the doctor's own hallucination. A few days into this, it would almost be just as well, since Dr. Denis appears to be the only physician who still notices the polite, unproblematic patient. Rantés has, by now, earned the loyal following of the other patients and Dr. Denis' growing respect.
The doctor is fully aware that Rantés has been taking liberties with curfews and has avoided taking his medicine; but his esteem for him prevents him from interfering and he takes Rantés' requests seriously, persuading the head of pathology
at the hospital, Dr. Prieto, to hire him as a volunteer assistant. Prieto (Rubens Correa) is a practical man and accepts, admitting that Rantés would be his first assistant in some time (having lost his last one during recent budget cuts).
Surprising even staffers that had long since stopped noticing him, Rantés is visited one afternoon by an attractive young lady. They clearly know each other and this intrigues Dr. Denis, who hopes she can shed light as to his mysterious patient's identity. Beatriz (Inés Vernengo) tells Denis of Rantés' work among children in a slum
, where she and Rantés met through their work for an Evangelical
mission there; beyond that, she speaks in general terms about the "very good man" with whom she seems only casually acquainted. The lonely Dr. Denis is charmed, however, and takes the opportunity of an upcoming outdoor Philharmonic concert to invite both friends for a night out. Popular in Buenos Aires in the summertime, these outdoor concerts are casual affairs and Rantés thinks nothing of asking Beatriz to dance. He becomes starstruck as the orchestra plays further into Ludwig van Beethoven
's Ninth Symphony
and, anything but shy, Rantés persuades the conductor to let him take the baton for the performance of the symphony's iconic Ode to Joy
, a delight to the orchestra and audience that, however, sends Rantés into police custody.
Facing a hostile hospital director (David Edery), Dr. Denis is less concerned for his job as he is for his impetuous friend, whom the director orders closely monitored and strictly medicated, something Denis fears could kill Rantés' unique personality and intellect. These pleas find no sympathy in the director, however, lest:
to which Denis quickly retorted:
More affected by the unwanted attention than by his sedatives, Rantés broods and becomes increasingly rebellious. Rantés seems less tormented by his treatment than by Dr. Denis' disinvolvement during all this, asking "Doctor, why have you abandoned me?" True to his principles, he takes umbrage less for his own mistreatment as for that of the other patients' and, again escaping after his demands to see the director are turned away, his complaints are likewise rejected at a nearby newspaper bureau. Dr. Denis dutifully brings him back from police custody, by now having come to terms that Rantés may never recover.
' K-PAX
, whose similarity to the Argentine title (whose author and director, Eliseo Subiela
, was not credited) was unmistakable to film enthusiasts and critics, among them Robert Koehler of Variety
and Bob Strauss of the Los Angeles Times
, both of whom expressed surprise at K-PAX author Gene Brewer
's contention that Man Facing Southeast was unfamiliar to him. Film critics at MSNBC
, for their part, commented that "both films are quite similar, though Man Facing Southeast is more ingenious and enigmatic. Other critics have highlighted the metaphoric value of Rantés, himself, whose miraculous powers, concern for the poor, frank criticism of human hypocrisy and willingness to subject himself to what amounts to torture create a character with a clear parallel in Christianity
.
Summary
A sunny summer morning early in 1985 finds the staff and patients going about their daily monotony at Buenos AiresBuenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
' José Borda Psychiatric Hospital. Much like its surrounding Constitución
Constitución, Buenos Aires
Constitución is a barrio or neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, approximately two kilometers south of the city's center.It is centered around Constitución Station and the square of the same name and can be reached by subway, by bus and enjoys easy access by car via 9 de Julio, San Juan and...
borough, the institution combines quaintness and faded elegance with cold rationalist structures and more than a little dilapidation. A senior staff psychiatrist, Dr. Julio Denis (played by Lorenzo Quinteros
Lorenzo Quinteros
Lorenzo Quinteros is an Argentine cinema and theatre actor.Born in Córdoba Province, Quinteros has appeared in many films since his debut in Alianza para el progreso in 1971...
) is surprised by news that the hall he supervises, a pavilion for non-violent delusional cases, has one patient too many.
Informed that the stranger is in the chapel, Dr. Denis finds the cavernous, modern structure filled with the sound of a virtuoso organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
performance unlike the hospital had been treated to since losing its chapel organist to budget cutbacks, years earlier. Summoning him (Hugo Soto
Hugo Soto (actor)
-Life and work:Hugo Soto was born in Corrientes, Argentina, in 1953. Developing an early interest in both painting and the stage, Soto relocated to Buenos Aires in the early 1970s, where he was mentored by expressionist painter Carlos Gorriarena....
) to his office, the man's speech is measured and articulate as he explains his presence there as a result of an image being projected from light years away. He introduces himself as "Rantés" (as exotic a name in Argentina as it would be in the United States, for instance), and this convinces Dr. Denis that yet another fugitive has snuck into the hospital in the hope of evading the law. The patient stays, however, and, though Dr. Denis approves of Rantés' caring touch for the other patients, his claims bemuse the doctor, who now suspects the man is a genius using his talents as a charade.
Julio Denis is a highly professional, though lonely, man, whose recent divorce left him with a jaded attitude towards life and even his work. His wife having remarried, he must settle for brief, weekly outings with his two children and grainy home movie
Home movie
Home movie may mean:*Home movies, referring to private or amateur motion picture photographic products shot and printed in any video or film format....
s of their days as a happy family, which he views almost nightly in his new apartment with his saxophone to console him. Rantés, far from oblivious to the wounded Dr. Denis, takes as much of an interest in his troubles as the doctor takes in Rantés, who becomes "the first patient in a long time" that has interested him at all. Believing his claim to be a "projected hologram" an allusion to Adolfo Bioy Casares
Adolfo Bioy Casares
Adolfo Bioy Casares was an Argentine fiction writer, journalist, and translator. He was a friend and collaborator with his fellow countryman Jorge Luis Borges, and wrote what many consider one of the best pieces of fantastic fiction, the novella The Invention of Morel.-Biography:Adolfo Bioy...
' novel, Morel's Invention, Dr. Denis concludes that this genius is also very well-read and, impressed, soon uses his senior staff prerogatives to include Rantés in outings to cafés and even a visit to a touring Moscow State Circus
Moscow State Circus
The title “Moscow State Circus” is used for a variety of circuses. Most commonly, it refers to one of the two circus buildings in Moscow, the “” and the “Bolshoi Circus” , or to traveling shows which may or may not be directly related to Russia.The Russian Circus rose to world acclaim during the...
performance with the two children.
Rantés is no ordinary man, his claims notwithstanding. Possessing a psychokinetic gift, he quickly finds ways to explore the city on his own and without permission. Compassionate to a fault, he uses this gift to the benefit of the hungry, narrowly skirting problems with the law. He spends endless hours standing motionless in the hospital commons, facing southeast. His answers always cryptic, he contends that he does this to receive "transmissions from his planet" and that, far from hallucinating, he is but the doctor's own hallucination. A few days into this, it would almost be just as well, since Dr. Denis appears to be the only physician who still notices the polite, unproblematic patient. Rantés has, by now, earned the loyal following of the other patients and Dr. Denis' growing respect.
The doctor is fully aware that Rantés has been taking liberties with curfews and has avoided taking his medicine; but his esteem for him prevents him from interfering and he takes Rantés' requests seriously, persuading the head of pathology
Pathology
Pathology is the precise study and diagnosis of disease. The word pathology is from Ancient Greek , pathos, "feeling, suffering"; and , -logia, "the study of". Pathologization, to pathologize, refers to the process of defining a condition or behavior as pathological, e.g. pathological gambling....
at the hospital, Dr. Prieto, to hire him as a volunteer assistant. Prieto (Rubens Correa) is a practical man and accepts, admitting that Rantés would be his first assistant in some time (having lost his last one during recent budget cuts).
Surprising even staffers that had long since stopped noticing him, Rantés is visited one afternoon by an attractive young lady. They clearly know each other and this intrigues Dr. Denis, who hopes she can shed light as to his mysterious patient's identity. Beatriz (Inés Vernengo) tells Denis of Rantés' work among children in a slum
Villa miseria
A villa miseria is a form of shanty town or slum found in Argentina, mostly around the largest urban settlements. The term is a compound noun made of the Spanish words villa "village, small town" and miseria "misery, dejection"...
, where she and Rantés met through their work for an Evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
mission there; beyond that, she speaks in general terms about the "very good man" with whom she seems only casually acquainted. The lonely Dr. Denis is charmed, however, and takes the opportunity of an upcoming outdoor Philharmonic concert to invite both friends for a night out. Popular in Buenos Aires in the summertime, these outdoor concerts are casual affairs and Rantés thinks nothing of asking Beatriz to dance. He becomes starstruck as the orchestra plays further into Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
's Ninth Symphony
Symphony No. 9 (Beethoven)
The Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, is the final complete symphony of Ludwig van Beethoven. Completed in 1824, the symphony is one of the best known works of the Western classical repertoire, and has been adapted for use as the European Anthem...
and, anything but shy, Rantés persuades the conductor to let him take the baton for the performance of the symphony's iconic Ode to Joy
Ode to Joy
"Ode to Joy" is an ode written in 1785 by the German poet, playwright and historian Friedrich Schiller, enthusiastically celebrating the brotherhood and unity of all mankind...
, a delight to the orchestra and audience that, however, sends Rantés into police custody.
Facing a hostile hospital director (David Edery), Dr. Denis is less concerned for his job as he is for his impetuous friend, whom the director orders closely monitored and strictly medicated, something Denis fears could kill Rantés' unique personality and intellect. These pleas find no sympathy in the director, however, lest:
"instead of making the police blotter, Rantés ends up in the front page next time: LUNATIC ORDERS MILITARY ATTACK."
to which Denis quickly retorted:
"that already happened, and I doubt it had anything to do with Rantés!"
More affected by the unwanted attention than by his sedatives, Rantés broods and becomes increasingly rebellious. Rantés seems less tormented by his treatment than by Dr. Denis' disinvolvement during all this, asking "Doctor, why have you abandoned me?" True to his principles, he takes umbrage less for his own mistreatment as for that of the other patients' and, again escaping after his demands to see the director are turned away, his complaints are likewise rejected at a nearby newspaper bureau. Dr. Denis dutifully brings him back from police custody, by now having come to terms that Rantés may never recover.
Influence
Pier Paolo Pasolini's Teorema is a possible source of inspiration. A modest box office draw when released in Argentina in April 1987, Man Facing Southeast received wider acclaim upon its video release later that year. The Secretariat of Culture submitted it for consideration by Academy of Motion Pictures for the 1987 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, though it was not nominated. Little known outside Argentina, Man Facing Southeast received wider exposure upon the 2001 release of Universal PicturesUniversal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
' K-PAX
K-PAX (film)
K-PAX is a 2001 American science fiction and mystery film directed by Iain Softley and starring Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges, Mary McCormack and Alfre Woodard. The screenplay, written by Gene Brewer and Charles Leavitt, is based on a novel of the same name by Brewer about a psychiatric patient who...
, whose similarity to the Argentine title (whose author and director, Eliseo Subiela
Eliseo Subiela
Eliseo Alberto Subiela is an Argentine film director and writer, whose works are considered to be in the 'magic realism' genre....
, was not credited) was unmistakable to film enthusiasts and critics, among them Robert Koehler of Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
and Bob Strauss of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, both of whom expressed surprise at K-PAX author Gene Brewer
Gene Brewer
Gene Brewer is the author of the K-PAX series of novels: K-PAX, K-PAX II, K-PAX III, K-PAX IV and Prot's Report, a brief natural history of the Earth, which appears in the K-PAX trilogy, an omnibus edition of the first three K-PAX books...
's contention that Man Facing Southeast was unfamiliar to him. Film critics at MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
, for their part, commented that "both films are quite similar, though Man Facing Southeast is more ingenious and enigmatic. Other critics have highlighted the metaphoric value of Rantés, himself, whose miraculous powers, concern for the poor, frank criticism of human hypocrisy and willingness to subject himself to what amounts to torture create a character with a clear parallel in Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
.