Man Facing Southeast

I don't normally bother to write comments like this but I was shocked by the other reviewer's perspective. I think perhaps he likes things spoonfed to him. Regardless, this is a fairly obscure film. It's Argentinian. It's a so-called "art movie". It doesn't feature any well known actors. The plot and many of the scenes were reproduced in the recent Hollywood version. Several other scenes have been lifted wholesale and used in other Hollywood movies. That alone suggests that the movie has merit (particularly in terms of story and direction). Over and above that, the acting is very good, and the pace, while slow, builds inexorably. There is no succinct resolution to the plot. That is the point. You have to think for yourself and it is a deeply thought provoking story. I think the central theme is a meditation on thought defining reality and seems to reference the Buddhist belief that our lives are a creation of our minds. But like any good work of art there are many layers open to interpretation. There are no overt references but this being an Argentinian affair, the tone of the movie reminded me of Jorge Luis Borges and Adolfo Bioy Casares. It's philosophical, and quite surreal in places. Some of the scenes are straight out of a Goya painting, and some of the camera motions are so graceful- almost imperceptible sometimes- that I thought of Kubrick. There's an awful lot going for this film. I don't want to ruin the story for anyone but I do rate it very highly.