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Insights:
K-Pax
is the intriguing story of a man named Prot confined to a
New York City Psychiatric Hospital because he claims to be
from the unknown planet K-Pax. It is a thought
provoking film with an unusual ending. (If you left before
the credits finished, you didn't see the ending.)
However, what is most intriguing is the similarity with two
other releases, The Last Castle and Monster, Inc.
How can these three movies be similar? they share the
same heart story.
Turning
the System Upside Down
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There
exists a "closed system" which is
hierarchical in nature. |
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There
is a proud taskmaster over the system. |
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The
system creates an atmosphere of fear which breeds
anger, strife, competition, corruption, disunity,
hatred, and chaos. |
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Someone
comes from the outside (another world/dimension) into
the closed system and takes on the appearance of those
at the bottom. |
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Even
though they are in the system, their heart remains
free. They are fearless and do not operate by
the rules of the closed system. |
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They
possess clear insight into the heart of those in the
system. |
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The
presence of this "outsider" effects the
entire system turning it literally upside down. |
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The
power of fear is broken by the power of love. |
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The
outsider leaves, but lives on in the hearts of those
who have been transformed rather than conformed. |
The
Closed System
The
metaphor used for the closed system in K-Pax is
the psychiatric hospital. It is a microcosm of the
earth, so that everything that happens in the hospital is
symbolic of the entire planet. It is a hierarchical
system with the patients confined to the lower floors while
the psychiatrists are on the top. Just as it is
impossible to imagine one wanting to be confined to a mental
hospital, it is impossible to imagine anyone entering this
system (the world) from the outside.
The Taskmaster
The
overseers of this system are the intellectual elite
represented by the psychiatrists and astronomers.
Their intellectual pride makes them view the mental patients
like small annoying children. The patients are too
numerous and they are too busy, so the solution is to drug
them. There is something different about Dr. Mark
Powell that sets him apart from his colleagues. He
makes a novel suggestion to the other psychiatrists,
"How about getting to know him," which is quickly
dismissed. It may be this difference that causes Prot
to choose him.1
The
Atmosphere
The
atmosphere of the earth and its microcosm, the hospital, are
established in the first scene. A man in a wheelchair
is sitting begging in Grand Central Station. People
hurriedly pass by putting money in his cup while virtually
ignoring him. No one speaks to him or gets down to his
eye level. He is a nonentity to the "haves".
The same theme of ignoring those at the bottom is carried
over into the hospital where the "haves" are
medicating the "have-nots".
The
first patient we see is filled with fear. Fear is what
alienates human beings from one another and from God (Genesis
3: 9-10). Permeating the atmosphere of a closed
system, it creates strife, anger, hostility, and corruption;
all of which are symptoms of mental "illness".
The
Outsider
The
man in the wheelchair that no one "saw" is the
first to see Prot 2.
Prot has arrived from K-Pax 3
where they have harnessed the energy of light and can travel
faster than light. Light is the metaphor for the film.
It is as if Prot comes to bring light into dark places (the
hospital/earth) and to illuminate the hearts of those caught
in the darkness.
Rules
From
the first moment we meet Prot, we understand that he does
not operate by the rules of the closed system.
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He
is led like a child to the psychiatric hospital.
It is a place of wonder and awe to him, not fear. |
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He
is sensitive to white light and can "see"
ultra violet light. A metaphor that he can see
things we cannot. |
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He
helps the other patients not with drugs, but with
tasks unique to them, which confounds and disturbs the
doctors. |
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He
disappears for three days |
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He
leaves when it is time for him to go.
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Vision
The
dark glasses Prot wears symbolize his special ability to see
the world through different 'lenses". He can look
into the patient's heart recognizing what each one needs in
order to be "cured". He can see the
contradiction in Dr. Powell between sharing his family with
Prot, while at the same time not speaking to his son.
He understands that the display he puts on for the smirking
astronomers demonstrates not only their intellectual pride,
but heir ignorance as well.
Upside
Down
Prot's
presence literally turns the psychiatric hospital upside
down! The classic scene is when the Bluebird of
Happiness appears to Howie. The first of three tasks
Prot has assigned to Howie is to watch for the Bluebird of
Happiness. The result of Howie seeing the bluebird is
an outbreak of joy in all the other patients. The view
from outside the hospital looking in through the windows is
profound. The lower floors are filled with
patients, all those that are supposed to be depressed,
oppressed, and obsessed, jumping for joy! Up above on
the top floor, the psychiatrists are looking down and they
are the ones that look depressed, lifeless, and joyless!
Power
of Love
The
key to the entire movie is in the early scene of Prot
telling the other patients about life on K-Pax. In the
background Russ is reading his Bible out loud. The
passage he is reading is the famous love passage written by
the apostle Paul to the Corinthians (I
Corinthians 13) 4.
Prot comes into a system of "unlove" and
fear"; i.e. the man in the wheelchair observing a
mugging. What he brings into this system is
unconditional love. When he departs, people have been
changed. A catatonic man in a wheelchair is being
taken for a walk and spoken to face to face. A hugging
(father and son) takes place in the very spot where the
mugging occurred.
Transformation
The
system has been transformed from within. Howie and
Ernie are "cured" and released. Mrs. Archer
is out of her room. The once depressing hospital has
experienced joy and laughter;. Hope has been restored.
Dr. Mark Powell sees patients, not problems. He takes
time and interest with those left under his care. His
family is reunited. As for Bess, (which means
"pledged to God"), Prot was so pleased with her
essay that he chose her to go to K-Pax (Genesis
5:24). After all, she was the one who recognized
him and needed a home. If you came out of the theater
thinking Prot was really Robert Porter, you didn't stay to
see the last scene. After all the credits are shown,
you'll find Dr. Mark Powell out gazing at the stars,
standing and smiling next to his large telescope!
Scripture:
I
Corinthians 13
The
Real Story
The
earth was once an Eden where the atmosphere was
unconditional love. When Adam and Eve "fell"
into separation from God, the first emotion they experienced
was fear (Genesis
3: 9-10). Fear permeates any system where God is
excluded. Into this "closed system" Jesus
Christ came. He is the life that brings light (John
1:1-5) and illuminates the darkness. The ruler of
this world has no power over Him (John
14:30-31) and could not prevent His breaking the power
of fear by His unconditional love (John
3:16-21). For all those who receive this love,
there is peace a thousand fold....K-Pax (John
14:27).
Notes:
1. When the
head psychiatrist, Claudia, asks
Powell, "Why this one?", he says,
"Maybe because he chose me."
2.
Prot, var. of proto. Proto, a
combining form meaning "first",
"foremost", "earliest form of"
3.
"K" means thousand; "Pax"
means peace
4.
Love Is... by Wendy
Anderson Halperin is highly recommended; a powerful
presentation of I Corinthians 13.
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