Homem Olhando Para o Sudeste

I loved this film. Not just because I'm an (ex-)Argentine but because it just works. It is delightful, thought-provoking and bittersweet. The same themes we loved in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, the destruction of innocence, the quashing of independence/individuality and the gray, foggy area of mental illness-- are all present in this fine film. Alas, most American viewers will not be familiar with the fine cast but no matter. This is a film that should be watched and enjoyed. You don't have to stick into a Hollywood pigeonhole to appreciate the fine artwork. It will leave you with that same wistful feeling that have done so many other films touching on the institutionalizing of mental patients-- with the possible exception of Harvey.

Those who complain about this movie being "depressing" and full of unanswered questions miss the point. An intelligent viewer must look beneath the surface; there's a clever story and a set of plot twists that await whomever is willing to make the minimum effort required to do that.

The movie keeps the viewer's interest by using a series of cinematic devices and by raising questions. The important ones get answered all right, while some unimportant ones are left open. Subiela himself admitted later that there is no real reason for Beatriz's changes of shoes, or for the blue liquid coming out of her mouth. But the central theme remains that of a man that approaches sainthood (note the numerous parallels with the story of Christ) by just doing what is logical---not out of any belief from a contrived moral system.

I think that the question, "Is he really from outer space?" is irrelevent to the movie--what matters is that the man, Renates, is completely foreign. It's not a feel-good movie, it's a thought-provoking movie, one that brings up the question, why is compassion so foriegn to us, and why do we fear the compassionate? Those with power (the doctors) are so afraid to lose that power that they force their subjects into a forgetful stupor and deny their humanity--just as the military under Videla and the junta tortured over 30,000 people only two decades ago. This film is a brilliant commentary on human nature and modern Argentine history.

Today nearly everyone is familiar with holograms; three-dimensional images projected into space with the aid of a laser. As a result of their research with subatomic particles, some scientists now believe that the universe itself is a holographic projection and that all things are infinitely interconnected at a deeper level of reality. Rantes (Hugh Soto), an "extra" patient who just shows up at a mental hospital in Buenos Aires, would probably agree. In Eliseo Subiela's science fiction thriller, Man Facing Southeast, Rantes tells Psychiatrist Julio Denis (Lorenzo Quinteros) that he is a projection who has been sent from another planet to study humanity and help the suffering. He claims that man is "in the prehistory of holographic projection" and that "his notions are delusionary". Rantes spends many hours simply standing in the courtyard-facing southeast, ostensibly transmitting and receiving messages from his home planet. He seems to have all the normal attributes of a human being but tells Dr. Denis that he does not have any human feelings.

Though Denis concludes that Rantes is insane and treats him with drugs and "counseling", he becomes increasingly fascinated with this strange individual who appears to possess extraordinary abilities. During their talks, Rantes articulates his thoughts about the human condition with amazing insight, telling the doctor that the patients are the sane ones since they do not subscribe to the blatant stupidity of so-called normal people. He tells Denis, "Your reality is terrifying, Doctor." Possessing a charisma that attracts other patients to him, the skeptical Dennis compares Rantes to a Christ figure and remarks that he himself has become the Pontius Pilate in this story.

The situation gets more involved when Denis falls in love with Beatrice Dick (Ines Vernengo), an attractive woman who visits Rantes in the hospital, claiming that she met him at her church. Their deepening relationship culminates in a concert in the park where Rantes, suddenly infected by human feelings, takes over the orchestra and conducts Beethoven's Ode to Joy as the audience and hospital patients' break into a Dionysian dance. When the episode is reported in the newspaper, the doctor is called to task by his superior and told to increase Rantes' medication. Denis, becoming increasingly isolated and depressed, agrees but begins to question the entire psychiatric establishment.

Man Facing Southeast is a thought provoking and entertaining film that examines the values society uses to judge those that are different. Though Rantes claims he is unfeeling, the contrast between his level of awareness and the closed-minded psychiatrists can perhaps stand as a metaphor for the leaders in today's society and those that are being led. Is Rantes a madman, a robot, a Christ-figure, an extra-terrestrial? Are the greatest virtues of mankind: love, compassion, and justice rational or irrational? This haunting Argentine film allows the viewer to provide the answers.

Man Facing Southeast is a very good, deep, thought-provoking film. Beautiful, stark visuals, music, and good acting all work to create a very intense and utterly mesmerizing atmosphere. But don't bother renting it - as far as I know only the dubbed version is available on video. With dialogue that takes itself this seriously, it takes extreme skill to keep it from being merely pretentious and ridiculous - a skill which the dubbers completely lacked. Thus a great, serious film is turned into one of those completely unwatchable abominations where you don't know if you should laugh or cry.