"Change the way you look at the world."
This is an appraisal to the K-PAX. I think this appraisal is very apropos. K-PAX is not a common science fiction film. Of course, there is an extraterrestrial in this movie, but this extraterrestrial actually looks like a normal human. If he looks just like a human, why we should judge he is an ET? Because of his behavior and thought.
These two things is I want to talk about in this article. In science fiction film, director also can use character's behavior and thought to show their emotion.
1. Behavior
Behavior out of the ordinary will make character different from others. In K-PAX，Port appeared at railway station. But nobody knows how he comes. He hasn't ticket and ID. He just appeared with a beam of light. This behavior is we can explain one. And then, he said he can't suit the light on the earth. Nobody can understand him, so police send him to madhouse.
In the madhouse, Port also do many strange things. He eat a banana with banana skin, looks like he never know this is a banana and people didn't eat skin. Some patients always say something nobody can understand, but he can talk with them.
These behavior makes him very different. But his emotion is normal. This is a contrast. This contrast will make others emotion changing, like his doctor. In the beginning, the doctor think he is just a new patient. But after saw these contrast, the doctor change his mind, his emotion become complex. He become doubt Port is a real ET.
2.Thought
Thought is one of the most important point in science fiction film. Good thought will make audience believe and trust.
Thought of Port is a watching focus in this film. Port said he is a ET. But he looks like a human. So doctor ask him many questions about his planet. And Port answer these question perfectly. He know something we can't understand. He draw a correct trajectories of his planet. He describe the life style in his planet. He consider law is useless in the universe......These thought sounds very unfamiliar but if the doctor study on it, he will find that's all fact.
These thought makes Port to be a real ET. His emotion is always reserved and explicit because he believe his own thought. Or we can say he know he is not human, so his always take things coolly. So I think great thought can help director create character's emotion in the film.
