This film is the movie that is accused of Hollywood "ripped off " in their version of it in K-Pax. The synopsis and plot is the same with very few changes here and there. While in K-Pax Kevin Spacey's Plut does not interrupt a symphony concert by taking over and conducting it, Hollywood did take that same premises & scenario and had Richard Gere do it in "Mr. Jones"!
I was very fortunate enough to see the original Spanish audio film with subtitles and it's a very sad haunting and hypnotic film.
the music score is very creepy, sinister and hypnotic and its own way. Especially the Sinister saxophone playing in the background. sometimes the music was so loud that I don't know if the director did that on purpose that the audio was still hearable but the music overwhelmed it at certain points so I don't know if that was on purpose or not. But regardless it gave certain scenes a very haunting and creepy horror like tension which I believe in a lot of ways it was very appropriate for this type of film and for it to convey The Haunting images of the mental hospital itself and what goes on there.
the film truly focuses on three characters the first being 'Rantes' play by the excellent actor Hugo Soto who unfortunately had a very short career he passed away in 1994 at the young age of 41 due to complications of AIDS.
Actor Lorenzo Quinteros who played Dr. Julio Denis, he did a excellent job add the psychiatrist dealing with the reality is Ranted a lunatic or is he really an extraterrestrial like he claims to be? the distinguish Lorenzo retired at the age of 70 and 2016 due to heart issues. He passed away three years later in 2019 at the age of 73 having had a long and distinguished career in his native country of Argentina.
the young and lovely Ines Vernengo (Beatriz Dick) made her debut with this film and it looked like it would be her one and only film until six years later she appeared in 1992 in the film The Dark Side of the heart in a part credited as La Ciega (the blind woman) and after that she has not been seen or heard of ever since a complete mystery.
So do yourself a favor and check this film out if you can with its original Spanish audio and subtitles and you will see the difference between it and K-PAX , especially the ending which has a very surprising twisting endimg Revelation that explains a lot!
I for one enjoyed both versions of this intriguing premises and story Man Facing Southeast is very cerebral and hypnotic and Haunting in a lot of ways and K-PAX endearing, thoughtful and sad also in its own way both films to me are excellent I have no problems I just love the storyline, the plot it is very fantastic and I'm glad that to some degree K-PAX did their own reimaging of this fantastic Man Facing Southeast film so do yourself a favor and check them both out!
Review of Man Facing Southeast
