the fountain

The Fountain is not for everyone. it’s either you love it or you hate it. since i’ve seen Aronofsky’s two other films – Pi and Requiem for a Dream. i had a pretty good idea what’s in store for me. just like his previous films, The Fountain is non-linear, open-ended, dream-like, charged with “remarkably honest performances, subtle details and stunning imagery”. the film is successful in creating an “insightful tapestry of the meaning of loss, mourning, and the possibility of eternal life.” the film is divided into three parts. the first part is where Hugh Jackman is a spanish conquistador where he is tasked to find the tree of life to save spain and marry the queen. the second part is where he is an obsessed doctor studying an ancient south american tree in order to save his dying life. the last part is where he is an astronaut traveling in space in search for the answer to eternal life. as an astronaut, he is tasked to save the tree and at the same time the tree keeps him alive in space being without water and food. how you interpret or arrange the parts is up to you. that’s the beauty of Aronofsky’s films. so watch it with an open mind…

for a lot of people, The Fountain is considered as weird, odd, or it doesn’t make any sense at all. when i watched it at gbelt a couple of years ago, i've heard people behind me complaining for most part of the movie. but like I said, Aronofsky is not for everyone.

i wouldn't say that the film is not without flaws.... but if you really take a careful (insightful) look at it, it is something ambitious and could perhaps be considered a true cinematic work of art.