Love will keep us together

Rating: 8/10 (18 March 2007)

The Fountain starts of promisingly, there is the shift in time, a gorgeous set up and Hugh Jackman demonstrating Wu Chu moves in a scrumptious silhouette sequence. At this point cinema lovers feel they are in for something special, then the story begins far away in a bubble, to then shift to present day, to then shift to the story within the story. This is still tantalising for the viewer until we realise that the story is taking too long and that not enough is being done to keep our interest.
Is it a love story, is it a story of time, is it a story of science, is it a story within the story? Time shifts, narrative departures are utilised at will, but the overriding effect is one of uncertainty. There is the feeling that for all the narratives that are taking place the director has forgotten one key element, that being an overriding narrative to hold these stories together. Kudos to the composer for creating a truly eerie soundtrack to complement the visuals, but still this is not enough to drag this movie from wannabe indie epic, to satisfactory Hollywood pseudo intellectual coffee table banter fodder.
Perhaps with a little more time, a little more editing, a little more thought in the actual result then this could have been great, but what we are left with is eventually a confusing love story trapped in time. Maybe cinema students will study this piece, Citizen Kane style in years to come, I, on the other hand remain in the position of dismissing this piece as art which has good intentions but failed in reaching the epic heights that it could have. Perhaps this could be the story of Aronofsky's career.