Have you ever received a gift that was wrapped multiple times, such that you have to unwrap layer after layer to reveal what's inside, your interest steadily piquing as you go?
Moviegoers, meet K-PAX.
The premise is less than captivating — Prot (Kevin Spacey) believes he hails from the planet K-PAX. This assertion lands him in the Psychiatric Institute of Manhattan. Prot intrigues his psychiatrist, Dr. Mark Powell (Jeff Bridges), eventually leading him to toy with the idea that Prot might actually be non-human.
But what carries K-PAX and allows it to be progressively engaging is the masterful work of its cast, especially that of Spacey. The more you learn about Prot, the more you'll want to know.
When the self-proclaimed K-PAXian first arrives at the mental hospital, (always wearing sunglasses, because planet Earth is too bright) Prot is unresponsive to his psychosis medication, puzzling his doctors. Prot claims to have come to Earth by "Light Travel," which is faster than the speed of light. Humans have not yet discovered this means of transport, Prot explains.
In fact, Prot says planet K-PAX is further evolved than Earth. K-PAXians don't have a government — they don't need one. K-PAXians don't need laws — they do not hurt one another. And K-PAXians don't need mental hospitals — they've evolved to the point of self-healing.
Sure, it may sound like a twisted Orwellian spin-off, but K-PAX takes some psychological turns that will leave you wondering.
Dr. Powell is left wondering, too. Prot shows the other patients how to treat their own illnesses, leaving the doctor threatened and vulnerable. When Prot disappears for a few days, the patients tell Dr. Powell that Prot went up North. By "Light Travel," that is.
Prot impresses Dr. Powell with his knowledge of astronomy, diagramming his planet's orbital path within a constellation. This baffles a group of astronomers as well. Powell grapples with this alien possibility while chasing clues that would indicate that the knowledgeable Prot is, in fact, human.
The film gradually climbs to the climax of Prot's planned return to K-PAX. One might liken the story to 12 Monkeys as well as to films of the wiser-than-thou- extraterrestrial persuasion, but K-PAX is still both entertaining and fresh.
Jeff Bridges' portrayal of a psychiatrist who takes his work home is convincing. It's easy to sympathize with Dr. Powell's plight to understand Prot, and that of his wife (played by Mary McCormack), who worries that the family comes second to her husband's job.
The psychiatric patients who become Prot's entourage add a colorful sparkle to the film. The anxiety-ridden Ernie (Saul Williams) and the obsessive-compulsive Howie (David Patrick Kelly) support Spacey well with their likeability.
But it's Spacey's intelligent, compelling performance in K-PAX that really hooks the viewer.
As he has done time and time again, Spacey makes you think without taking you out of the film.
Prot often asks his psychiatrist if he realizes how often he repeats himself, and muses that it's surprising human society has made it this far.
If Spacey's closing monologue in American Beauty gave you chills, expect the same from K-PAX.
A stimulating yet sweet story about humanity, K-PAX will leave you thinking, probably not about the possibility of alien life, but about notions of this life that Spacey skillfully presents.
And you'll have some fun along the way.
