The Fountain (2006)

Director: Darren Aronofsky
Format: DVD
DVD Features: trailer, featurette
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz, Ellen Burstyn
Trailer

I have a cousin, close in age and remote in distance, whose life parallels my own in many ways. His, like mine, has been laden with a series of unhappy events (I call them Little Tragedies) and thus, he is always recommending tragic dramas for me to watch. Last time, it was Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. That one cut right to the heart. This time, it was The Fountain and I watched it with my grandmother and uncle. Neither of them seemed to grasp what the movie was about, and they expressed a sense of confusion at the conclusion. This cousin of mine is a writer, and thinks deeply on many levels, so I knew the movie was meaningful to him. I think I got a bit more from it than my companions did, but it is a highly interpretive film.

The “fountain” in the title refers to The Fountain of Youth in various senses. There are three storylines in the movie that parallel each other and each has to do with the search for immortality. In the primary storyline, Hugh Jackman plays Dr. Tom Creo. Creo is a medical researcher who is trying frantically to find a cure for the brain tumor that’s killing his wife. However, he’s spending so much of his time in this desperate quest that he’s missing out on the few precious moments he has left with her. She, however, has taken a more courageous view of her situation and prefers to consider death as the beginning of something new.

Creo’s wife, Izzi (Rachel Weisz), is in the process of writing a story, and this is where the second aspect of the movie comes into play. Jackman, this time, is a conquistador who is sent by his Spanish queen (also Weisz) on a quest for The Tree of Life. She hands him a ring and promises that when he’s returned successful, the two of them will join and the crown will be safe. He is relentless in his search for the Tree, to the point that his accompanying troops begin to believe that he’s gone mad.

In yet a third thread of The Fountain, Jackman plays a man traveling through space in an enclosed bubble of atmosphere. The only other traveler in the bubble is a large tree, from which he receives sustinence and companionship. His goal is to bring the tree to a nebula which will preserve the ailing tree’s life.

Aside from common theme and actors, the three tales are linked by two other elements. One is The Tree. It is The Fountain of Youth that the conquistador searches for. It is the man in the bubble’s only concern. It is also an ingredient that Dr. Creo uses in his experiments. The other associated object is a ring. In the main storyline, the doctor loses his wedding ring when he is washing up for surgery. It is also an object of promise from the Spanish queen. And in the bubble, the man has tattooed himself with rings signifying the years he and the tree have shared together. Eventually, some of these ingredients cross over from one stream of the story to another and the three become more entwined.

I cannot say enough good things about either Hugh Jackman’s or Rachel Weisz in this movie. Both of them make you care so much about their characters that it’s almost impossible not to become emotionally invested in what’s happening to them. Izzi is practically an angel and is so enlightened in her perspective but remains very human at the same time. Weisz as the Spanish queen is almost ethereal and likewise angelic. It’s hard not to sympathize with Creo, because it’s apparent that his every effort is expended on his wife’s behalf and that his love for her is very powerful. While there are a few supporting roles, none of them seem of any consequence compared to Creo and his wife.

As I mentioned earlier in this review, The Fountain has many different layers and I think that it can be interpreted in several ways. It can either be terribly depressing or gently uplifting, depending on your perspective. The overall message can be one of despair, or one of encouragement. However, there is a difference in the way I interpreted this film and the comments I’ve read online about it. Generally, people seem to view the three storylines as past, present and future. Contrary to that, I believe that the three stories indicate the same message and longing for discovery, but rather than being a difference in time, they are a difference in the way that Dr. Creo chooses to consider the battle between himself and his wife’s illness.

The main story is what happens in actuality. The story involving the queen and her soldier is a tale that Izzi had written in order to express to her husband how she perceives his quest for a cure. Finally, the man in the bubble is the doctor’s personal insight into his relationship with his wife and his urgent desire to hold on to her. I hesitate to delve further into my explaination for fear of spoiling the film, but that is the basic concept of the film as I saw it.

It seems that The Fountain has some really nice CGI. But, in fact, the director wanted to stay away from computer graphics. Instead, he used microphotography to create many of the effects. The lighting in the film is effective in giving the entire story a sort of fantasy quality. However, some scenes were shot so dimly that it was very difficult to follow the action. That is probably my only criticism of the entire film.

Because there are so many layers of meaning to The Fountain, it really depends on one’s interpretation of the film as to whether or not that person will find it enjoyable. The Fountain is definitely not a funny, happy-go-lucky movie. Neither is it for the kids. Don’t look to the film for high action or witty dialogue and don’t expect a clear resolution. I think that it will appeal to fans of Aronofsky’s other work, but may turn off much of the mainstream movie going audience. While the two main characters are played by popular stars, the movie strays sufficiently off the beaten path to resist appeal to a wide selection of Jackman and Weisz fans. Personally, I found it engaging, asthetically appealing, tragic and deeply meaningful. However, it’s not a movie I would watch all the time because it is so heavy on the heart and mind.

As a final note, I would like to mention that The Fountain does depict animal testing (specifically on monkeys) which is something that I neither endorse or condone. So, as a warning to fellow animal rights crusaders, some scenes may be difficult for sensitive viewers.

Overall Rating: 4 ½
Hottie Rating: 4 (Jackman with his shirt off)

Alternate viewing: Pi
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Cinepinion review

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