Just wish the film had been "as advertised."

Rating: 1/10 (21 December 2006)

It purported to be an "Eternal Love Story" so I went to the film expecting something spectacular about two people in love. Was totally disappointed that the film didn't deliver what was promised.
What this film is about, is a man in three life-times (reincarnations?) who decides that the "tree" of life is more important than a relationship with his love. Isabel/Izzy is left behind, while Tomas/Tommy/Tom is off chasing an obsession. Regardless of his being ordered by Izzy to find the tree of life/fighting against Mayans/cancer/memories, the character of Tom cannot see the forest for the "tree." His queen/wife begs for his attention, as she has accepted her own inevitable death, and just wants to share a few moments of quality time with him, (a walk in the snow, a look through a telescope, a read from her journal with feedback.) He refuses because in his hunt for the ultimate cure, his obsession develops, which leaves him with 1500 years of regret.
This is not a romance, it's a morality play. It has some pretty pictures, but the inner core of the script did not tell anything close to a "great love story for the ages." Wish the advertising hype had been honest.
This is a tragedy, Shakespearian in scope. It liberally uses "dark ages Christianity/Eastern philosophical" images, but there is no truth concepts gleaned from the actual religions. It's images are "Kung-fu" meets "2001-Space Odyssey in a culture cliché.
Perhaps it was the lack of funds and the push to finish quickly, that left the film filled with missing pieces of development. One wonders what was actually filmed and left on the cutting room floor or on the script page. Perhaps it could have been much better.
As is, it's empty, devoid, Dante's inferno. The advertising should have told more about it's "Death" themes. But I guess "hooking" an audience was of prime importance. Sad.