The Fountain is an odyssey about one man's thousand-year struggle to save the woman he loves. 
His epic journey begins in 16th century Spain, where conquistador Tomas Creo (Hugh Jackman) commences his search for the Tree of Life, the legendary entity believed to grant eternal life to those who drink of its sap. As modern-day scientist Tommy Creo, he desperately struggles to find a cure for the cancer that is killing his beloved wife Isabel (Rachel Weisz).
Traveling through deep space as a 26th-century astronaut, Tom begins to grasp the mysteries of life that have consumed him for more than a century.
There is not much more I can say about this film without ruining the effect it will have on the viewer. I was profoundly moved by what I was seeing on screen. Thomas the warrior, the scientist, the explorer is so consumed by finding the answers for life, death and rebirth that he forgets to live. His drive is fueled by grief and a race against time over his loves eventual mortality, that every moment is spent in his laboratory trying to find a cure, missing the final days of Izzy’s life.
What transpires on screen is a meditation on love, death and spirituality. Darren Aronofsky is a filmmaker who knows exactly the mood he wants to get across (claustrophobic headache in Pi, the slowed down and sped up world of drugs in Requiem for a dream). In The Fountain he succeeds in portraying the spiritual, the life and the loss. Superbly supported by cinematographer Matthew Libatique, Aronofsky combines the world of a sweeping epic with an intimate study of what it is to truly be reborn.Clint Mansell delivers a truly sensational score, as he did (and that has been ripped of for every trailer ever) for Requiem for a Dream that serves the film, enhancing the tone of each scene with enough power and beauty that it is not lost amongst the images.
Lastly, why oh why was Hugh Jackman not nominated for ANYTHING? He gave one of the best performances of the year. The way he played the determination, the hope, and the despair broke my heart. In the quieter scenes where the camera pulled up close on his face as he grieved I felt I should look away, like I was watching a private moment in someone’s life that I did not belong to. I honestly did not think he was capable of such truth.
Grade A-
For a selection from the score, click below. This is called 'Together, We Will Live Forever' by Clint Mansell
1 comment:
Yes I loved this movie too now that it has had time to sink in and the laughter of the audience (not a good thing) has faded. For a review of both Pi and The Fountain check out my blog at http://tweenbetween.blogspot.com/2007/02/darren-aronofsky.html
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