The Honorary Consul

The Honorary Consul (released in the US as Beyond The Limit) is a 1983 British drama film directed by John Mackenzie, and starring Michael Caine, Richard Gere, Bob Hoskins and Elpidia Carrillo. It is based on the 1973 novel The Honorary Consul by Graham Greene. Plot summary The story is set in Corrientes, a small town in north east Argentina. Eduardo Plarr is a doctor of Paraguayan and British parentage. As a boy, he was forced to flee his native Paraguay after the arrest and subsequent disappearance of his father, a dissident. Plarr makes the acquaintance of the dissolute and heavy-drinking Charley Fortnum, the honorary British consul. He also meets Colonel Perez, the local police chief. While attending patients in a shanty town, Plarr meets Leon, an old school friend from Paraguay. Leon was ordained as a priest but left the priesthood to get married. He is now involved in a group of militant activists. Fortnum asks Plarr to come to his house to attend to his wife, who is complaining of stomach cramps. Plarr recognises the wife as Clara, a girl who previously worked at the town's brothel. Plarr later meets Clara while she is out shopping. They begin a passionate affair.