I saw this movie at a lecture in MIT and the person giving the introduction said that the film had been criticised in Argentina for being too sad. I have to say that I did not find it teribly sad but very disturbing.
It is set in a mental hostpital but the audience is constantly trying to figure out who are the crazy ones. The main character "Rantes" is a complex and very rational character compared with his doctor who is predictable in his behaviour and very irrational. The film strongly makes the point that more humans are like the doctor over the patient but it is obvious that the patient is a much more desirable character. The music added a lot to the feeling of unease I felt watching it. By the end the sound of the sax seemed almost seedy and back alley like the soundtrack to some graphic pornography with very low production value. And the scene with (i think it's) Beethovens 9th symphony (the same one as was used in A Clockwork Orange) was amazing.
The one complaint I would have about the movie, and this could be a spoiler coming up, is that I don't think it was neccessary to show Rantes as having telekinetic powers. It gave the game away far too early and just confused me. It all seemed a bit too convienient.
It is set in a mental hostpital but the audience is constantly trying to figure out who are the crazy ones. The main character "Rantes" is a complex and very rational character compared with his doctor who is predictable in his behaviour and very irrational. The film strongly makes the point that more humans are like the doctor over the patient but it is obvious that the patient is a much more desirable character. The music added a lot to the feeling of unease I felt watching it. By the end the sound of the sax seemed almost seedy and back alley like the soundtrack to some graphic pornography with very low production value. And the scene with (i think it's) Beethovens 9th symphony (the same one as was used in A Clockwork Orange) was amazing.
The one complaint I would have about the movie, and this could be a spoiler coming up, is that I don't think it was neccessary to show Rantes as having telekinetic powers. It gave the game away far too early and just confused me. It all seemed a bit too convienient.