Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
Premise: Tom (Hugh Jackman), a cancer researcher,
struggles to find a cure for his wife’s (Rachel Weisz) condition. At the same
time she writes a fantasy story about a conquistador searching for the fountain
of youth to save his loved one. The film alternates between the story in the
real world and the story in the fantasy world.
What Works: The film uses formalistic techniques,
creatively cross cutting between the narratives in ways that fill in the gaps
between the two stories and create greater understanding about each other. The
Fountain is able to be more than just a simple story and engages multiple
layers and themes including love, creativity, and mortality and connects them in
ways that are meaningful. The film is serious and thoughtful about its subject
matter, and does not tap into these deep themes just for the appearance of
sophistication. Rather, The Fountain goes for deeper, authentic
connections between the two stories and their themes. The film is deeply unified
and highly symbolic, much like the conclusion of 2001:
A Space Odyssey. The acting in the film is very good, particularly by
Rachael Weisz as Izzie. It is an understated performance that demands great and
subtle versatility and she maintains the character’s dignity and does not use
cancer as an easy way of achieving pathos appeal.
What Doesn’t: The weakest element of the story is
its execution of Tom’s grief. His story makes great leaps; at one point he
possesses a Dr. Frankenstein-like obsession to defeat death but then he moves on
from it with little explanation or dramatic cause. The ending of the film spends
most of its time in the fantasy, which is effective and very beautiful but does
not display the kind of effective cross cutting The Fountain displays
early in the film.
Bottom Line: The Fountain is a challenging
film, the kind of movie that will polarize its audience with some loving it and
other hating it with few in between. Those who found pleasure in What
Dreams May Come, The
Cell, and 2001: A Space Odyssey will enjoy the picture. For those
who understand it, The Fountain is a great, Romantic story in which love
and creativity trump death.