The Fountain: Offbeat Aronofsky
Will You Love or Hate This Film? Stars Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz
Sep 5, 2008 Rashelle Predovnik
There is no possibility of sitting on the fence with Aronofsky’s 2007 cinematic offering - you are either going to love or hate this film.
A Remarkable Love Story:
Structured as three stories, in three lifetimes, spanning 1,000 years, The Fountain is ultimately one epic story about love, death and rebirth: In 16th Century Spain, Tomas the Conquistador battles to find the Fountain of Youth to save his Queen; in the present day , Tommy the scientist races against time to find a cure for his wife’s cancer; in the 26th Century we find Tom the Astronaut floating in space with the Tree of Life, travelling to Xibalba, a distant nebula, to be reunited with his love.
There are a number ways you can read this film, believing what you saw was either actual or symbolic but thematically this is a movie about the loss of a loved one, denial and acceptance.
Hugh Jackman (X-Men‘s Wolverine) gives an academy award winning performance as the obsessed Tommy racing against time to save his dying wife Izzi, played by the beautiful Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardener). Tommy fights death, while his wife Izzi accepts it as a part of our growth as spiritual beings. Spanning a terrific range of emotions, Jackman’s pain on screen at his impending loss is palpable. Weisz is both Isabel, Queen of Spain, and Tommy’s dying wife Izzi in the present-day story and turns on an equally powerful performance in a role that is ultimately more accepting and serene.
An Award Winning Film Score:
The films emotive score by British composer Clint Mansell merges the atmospheric with the dramatic and has won a number of awards, including Best Original Score at the Chicargo Film Critics Association Awards in 2006.
This beautifully crafted score is the result of a collaboration between Clint Mansell, the Kronos Quartet (famous for their work with Philip Glass) and Mogwai, a Scottish post-rock band.
In 2007, Mansell also won Best Original Score at the Online Film Critics Society Awards and the Public Choice Award and a World Soundtrack Award at the World Soundtrack Awards.
Mansell, who was once the lead singer and guitarist of the British band Pop Will Eat Itself, got his break into the world of film scoring when Darren Aronofsky hired him to score his debut film Pi and
The Fountain is Mansell’s third Aronofsky film.
This Multi Threaded Epic Will Invite Many Interpretations:
Although visually this is a stunning film, the editing creates a disorientating narrative as the film follows a non linear structure. The use of sound is particularly adept at communicating grief stricken Thomas’s inner pain in a scene where he walks down a busy street and the use of colour is inspired - dark, sombre colours depict visually that Thomas is living in the shadow of death whereas warm orange light, in the future sequence, denotes a different stage in the life cycle as he journey’s to enlightenment.
Despite the fact this movie should be enjoyed as a cinematic experience, it will probably confuse, frustrate and bore some viewers. To avoid irritation, take the safe route of admiring Aronofsky’ craftsmanship and originality in making this film instead of the mental gymnastics required to understand all its ambiguity.
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