2006 (USA) dir: Darren Aronofsky Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz, Ellen Burstyn
On the surface 'The Fountain' is a confusing film, but underneath the convoluted plot and stunning visuals is a message that hits hard and keeps stirring the grey matter for days after the first watch.
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.
Ultimately 'The Fountain' is about death as a form of creation, how a person cannot truly begin to live until they have conquered their fear of death.
This year I turned thirty-seven (review wrote 12/06/07), the age my father was when I lost him to cancer. Death has been on my mind a lot lately and this film has hit me for six. Whether it has a positive effect or not, I don't know. I do know that Aranofsky has made a movie that will pay dividends on subsequent viewings, and I'm looking forward to buying the DVD. The fountain is cinematic poetry.