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Take a drink from "The Fountain"

Written by MICHAEL JAMES ALLEN

Tuesday, 28 November 2006

“The Fountain” is one of the best movies of the year. It is so good, in fact, it is almost certainly destined to fail. If this weekend’s box-office reports are any indication, the film will be seen by tragically few and quickly fade into obscurity. It will build small word-of-mouth when it hits DVD next year and will develop an ever-growing legion of supporters. Thirty years from now, when director Darren Aronofsky releases “Pi 2: Numbers-A-Go-Go,” critics will scoff and claim that it doesn’t come close to Aronofsky’s real masterpiece, “The Fountain.” Such is the fate of all works of art that are ahead of their time.

"The Fountain"

Entertainment

Art

Written and directed by Darren Aronofsky
Starring Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz, and Ellen Burstyn
Rated PG-13 for some intense sequences of violent action, some sensuality, and language
Released November 22, 2006

In the film, Aronofsky doesn’t reinvent cinema but he certainly rejuvenates it a little. As independent films become more and more mainstream a trend has developed in which films are praised for looking like crap. The careful art direction that developed during the Golden Age of film has gone away, replaced by shaky-cams, and digital cinema, and (my least favorite of the three) “gritty realism.” With all this surrounding it, “The Fountain” has the courage to look good. I’ve read reviews that pan the film for its visual trickery and hallucinogenic images, claiming that it just looks too good. I can certainly agree that the movie looks good but I can’t, for the life of me, see why that’s a bad thing. Every frame is gorgeous, and a sequence that takes place in a star nebula will have your jaw dropping.

Of course, a movie that just looks good is not enough, but luckily the film delivers plot-wise as well. The film tells the story of a man named Tom (an excellent, Oscar-worthy Hugh Jackman) who goes on a quest to find the immortality-giving Tree of Life and, thereby, save his terminally ill wife (Rachel Weisz). The story might seem simple but it is actually quite epic, spanning three time periods (from the 1500’s, to the present, and to the very distant future) and manages to weave in elements that include Mayan history, yoga, neuroscience, the meaning of life, the meaning of death, and a whole slew of different theologies. This is a type of story that we rarely get anymore—intelligent, epic, played entirely straight—and, while you definitely have to pay close attention, it never becomes confusing.

“The Fountain,” with its dreamlike images and nonstop story, might not be for everyone. It is a film that will divide audiences and inspire both love and hate. I’m not worried that the film will have detractors: It will have many and they will hate it with a passion. No, the thing that really concerns me is that the people who might love it will not get a chance to see it on the big screen (where it belongs) before it’s too late. So I urge you now, if this sounds like the type of film for you, go check it out. “The Fountain” will not disappoint.

Comments

what?
Written by Guest on 2006-11-29 21:49:13

you were kidding with "best movie of the year", right? i thought it was horrible.

I loved it
Written by Guest on 2006-11-29 23:12:29

I disagree, I thought it was great, especially the dreamlike imagery

angelycan
Written by Guest on 2006-11-30 02:53:08

i totally agree with this assessment. though i am not an emotional person, i wept all through the end credits b/c of the sheer beauty of this movie while my husband and brother-in-law sat dumfounded in amazement. i would describe this movie as the surrealist and abstract art movements put to film while portraying questions of the nature of the universe and life and after-life. amazing. a masterpiece. breathtakingly beautiful. and sadly, for all these reasons, most movie-goers will walk out wishing they could have their $8 back. i pitty those who lack the capacity to appreciate it and embrace it for it's ambiguousness.

more than meets the eye
Written by Guest on 2006-12-01 12:33:56

The Fountain will be ho-hum or confusing to those who want linear entertainment. It is ambitious, and it layers in clues to understand how the three temporal levels are connected. But you have to pay attention --- popcorn chasers will miss the point. In fact, see it twice. I especially appreciated how Maya teachings about sacrifice, death, and transcendence were deftly handled (even though some details of Maya astronomy got mixed up).

chop it and i'd love it
Written by Guest on 2007-01-16 12:26:21

I'd have probably agreed and enjoyed the plot if they edited out every scene where he was on the little globe in outer space.
Leaving it in there turns a fantastic film into a questionable one.

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