# K-PAX (2001)



## tokyogirl (Jul 13, 2002)

*loved it!*

ok, since no one has posted here yet i will.  i love this movie.  i love kevin spacey (one of my little guys is even named after him) and i think he was excellent in this movie.  did anyone else even see this one?


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## Tabitha (Jul 19, 2002)

I really enjoyed this film.  The friend I watched it with was not so sure.

The tale of an alien disguised as a human, here to study humans, or is it?  That is the basic premise - is this interesting and insightful being an alien, or simply suffering from schizophrenia?

This effects-free SciFi movie from 2001 is a thoughtful and low-key story.  I enjoyed it, but reviews were lukewarm.  Spacey and Bridges both give perfect performances.  
Bridges' role is particularly nice when compared to his character in Starman from 20 years previous - playing the equivalent of Spacey's character in that movie.



> From IMDB:
> The film tells the story of a mysterious patient (Kevin Spacey) at a mental hospital who claims to be from a distant planet called K-PAX. As his psychiatrist (Jeff Bridges) tries to figure out exactly how to help the patient, he gradually begins to realize that this so-called alien is having a remarkable effect on the mental health of the hospital's other patients.



http://us.imdb.com/Plot?0272152


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## tokyogirl (Jul 19, 2002)

ok, so what did you think of the ending?  did you think he really was an alien, or just a guy with some psycological problems?


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## Tabitha (Jul 23, 2002)

Well, there aren't that many hints really, but I think he must have been an alien.  But my main reason for thinking this is that he was able to tell those Astronomer dudes about that binary star (or whatever it was).  It just seemed incredibly unlikely that he could have got that information anywhere else.

And all that disappearing and stuff.  My vote goes for Prot being an alien.
What do you think?


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## tokyogirl (Jul 23, 2002)

that was my vote.  i think he was an alien for the same reasons, that and the fact that the other chick disappeared as well.  my mom on the other hand thinks that it was all something in his mind.  that it was just his way to escape.


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## Brit Chick (Oct 16, 2002)

Its interesting to read that most of you go the route that Prot was an alien using Robert Porter's body - I watched the film with my husband at the weekend and he was of the same view, for the same reasons i.e the disappearance for a couple of days, and the fact the other girl disappeared at the time Prot apparently left and the star thing.

What is weird to me is that I am the sci-fi/supernatural nut in our house - not Dave (the hubby) - yet it was me that went the more straightforward route and thought that Prot was simply a character that Robert Porter created in his mind to come and help him in times of stress and trauma and Dave that thought he was an Alien.

The schizo/multiple personality theory does seem right to me, they reckon if you regress a patient in that state they will regress in the personality they are in at the time (I read that somewhere - no idea where tho) 

Here is my thinking :

Under hypnosis Prot said he was with his friend 'Pete' (obviously Robert) when Pete's father had died cos Pete was upset - he made the remark that they were outside looking up at the stars - so showing an interest in astronomy here.

He got very agitated when regressed to that particular day - the 5 years prior to Prot's leaving date and the date of the murder and I think he had that reaction BEFORE Prot said he was back on earth - so kind of a subconscious thing maybe of the real personality not wanting to think about what happened

Prot made the comment to Bridges that now that he had found Robert Porter he hoped he would take care of him - maybe that was why the alien personality knew it was OK to go back behind the scenes

The policeman told the psychiatrist (Bridges) that Robert Porter was a brainy type - so maybe he continued his studies of the stars and thats how he knew about the location of the planet

OK - I know there are a couple of wacking great holes in that theory - how did he disappear for 2 days and if he was as poor as he was living in a little shack and all that how could he have possibly pursued astronomy - but you never know people find a way to do things if they want to

You can see that I have been thinking about this movie - Dave and I discussed the different sides for ages - 

What I can work out is why I can't just go for the Alien option - its much more my thing - but there you go.....


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## Tabitha (Oct 16, 2002)

When Porter went under hypnosis the theory that Prot was a constructed 'escape mechanism', helping him to deal with his emotional problems, was very persuasive, as you suggest.
I can't remember if it is mentioned in the movie - but is there any mention of the fact that "Prot" is Port (er) rearranged?  A heavy hint that Prot is not an alien, but an alternate personality.

I think the problem with this story is that there is not enough conclusive information to back up either solution.  I think I need to rewatch it, and look out for any clues that might help further.  I think I concentrated on the Astrological discovery as my reasoning for deciding Prot was an alien, but I wonder if there are any less obvious allusions to the correct answer?


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## tokyogirl (Dec 7, 2002)

see i have to disagree.  i think what made this movie great was the lack of explanations for either side.  it's whatever you want to believe.  that's why both me and my mom were able to enjoy.  i just bought the movie at blockbuster, so i'll rewatch it and maybe i'll change my mind, but probably not.


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## Dave (Nov 23, 2011)

I finally saw this after 10 years!!

I liked it, though it was a little slow in places, and I wouldn't say it was science fiction. It was a feel good film - everyone got helped or cured at the end. Even the Doctor spoke to his son again. Good cinematography - all those images of refracting and reflecting lights. Good casting and acting.

The big question: _"Was Prot an alien?" _
His unexplained knowledge wasn't just the helical orbit of the planet in a distant solar system. He also said that we have 10 planets in ours. 10? There are now only 8 so we need to find another 2 for him to be correct. That was an error that the writer didn't expect.
His disappearance I can accept, but the disappearance of Bess at the end is harder to reconcile.
However, he also could speak to the Dog - otherwise how did he know about the slipper and its deafness in one ear?
He had no reaction to the drugs they were giving him.
He could also see in ultra-violet, and no human can do that.
And how did he know that the Blue Jay would come to the hospital garden?
But then there was the swing and the water sprinkler - how do you explain his reaction if it wasn't a flashback.
And the other patients do not recognize Robert as he is being wheeled out of the room at the end.

I've read comments that hospital is really an allegory of a modern city, with unhappy people living in their little boxes, and that just like Prot, we could be far happier but we choose not to isolate ourselves or to drive others away. But without his delusions, Prot is Robert Porter, a man in a catatonic state. In that case, what is that saying? That we are all better off with our delusions?


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## rune (Dec 29, 2011)

I finally got to see this movie all the way through, Id often cause it part way, or only at the end so was wondering what it was about. I found I did enjoy it, even though there isnt a great deal of action


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