The problem with Critics

Rating: 10/10 (12 February 2007)

Just list the most memorable films that have had a real impact on culture, or reflected what the big questions are in life, and you will soon see some of the most savage and banal criticism. The Fountain is a genre creating work, in the way that Blade Runner was. This is a problem of categories, in this case, 'Science Fiction'. Reading the reviews it is evident that any film that does not spoon feed the viewer is a failure, oh dear.
This is a complex and stunning work of depth and beauty, and more to the point extremely thought provoking. It leaves you with a great deal of introspection, and demands, goodness me!... thought.
Another category issue is 'entertainment' - are we so banal that we have to be happy or somehow sated on leaving the cinema? That is the problem of marketing to 18-25 year old audiences...this requires some insight. This movie hit home with me because it deals with loss of a loved one through death, not divorce, or break-up, but the ultimate finality. I think this is film that requires the viewer to have experienced this kind of loss. Then you get it.
Aranovsky clearly understands this cannot be dealt with simply, and there is really no such thing as 'closure'. We are doomed to confront the ultimate truth that we cannot stop our loved ones from dying, and we all die alone. But we can take solace in memory and consciousness, and remember that we are all made from the effectively immortal fabric of the universe.
The answers are more questions, but this comes down to the latest theories and speculation of the nature of consciousness. Some of the ideas that are alluded to in the film are clearly related to these. This is an area that will see far more material on screen in the next decade, it is low hanging fruit for filmmakers.
Aranovsky is one of the first, take heart sir, you can never be a prophet in your own land, you are in good company, ask Ridley Scott.