A Visually Symphonic Work of Metaphysical Poetry

Rating: 10/10 (20 January 2008)

The polycentric structure of THE FOUNTAIN is bound to make it a difficult film for some viewers, an intriguing one for others, and an irresistibly fantastic one for even more viewers. Those who stretch their senses beyond the movie's leaps between the past, present, and future time periods, and who allow themselves to flow along with director Darren Aronofsky's brilliant stream of consciousness discover one amazingly beautiful film.
Among the reasons that some have found The Fountain more disorienting than entertaining is because most of the scenes are shot in shadowy environments with concentrations of light shining like a promised revelation at a distance. This same implied promise of revelation, along with composer Clint Mansell's hauntingly gorgeous score, is a major part of the magic that pulls lovers of the movie deep inside its beguiling story of one man's quest to climb "The Tree of Knowledge" in order to master "The Tree of Life." Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz both enjoy an actor's feast with multiple roles that place them in the 16th Century, the present, and the 26th Century. We first meet Jackman in the past, as Tomas the Conquistador, when he accepts a mission from Queen Isabel (Weisz) to challenge the Mayans and "deliver Spain from bondage." But his mission is not really so much about delivering Spain as it is taking possession of the fabled fountain of youth and the tree of life referenced in the Book of Genesis. There are no sub-headings or other warnings to let us know when we're about to travel to another era and that causes a double-take when we suddenly see Tom meditating before a large grayed tree afloat in a giant space bubble. There, he counts the rings tattooed on his arm to symbolize the many years or lifetimes he has waited to reunite with his beloved. Finally, in the present time, there is Dr. Tommy Creo, who races against time to discover a cure for his terminally ill wife Izzi (Weisz again.) As painfully frustrating as it is to watch his wife dying, it is almost just as agonizing for Tommy to endure her attitude towards her death. Rather than mourning pitifully for herself or struggling to defeat death as Tommy does, she takes her cue from Mayan mythology that observes "Death is the road to awe," and that conscious dying should be experienced "as an act of creation." Definitely a difficult concept for the average Westerner to embrace. The act of creation that Izzi undertakes to confront death is the composition of an historic novel called "The Fountain." Is the story she's writing one about their lives in centuries past, or a fable conjured to help her husband cope with his grief once she's gone? Or is it both? Only director Aronofsky--maybe--knows for sure.
If balancing time-lines was the biggest challenge viewing The Fountain, viewers could probably handle it easily enough. However, it is also Aronofsky's tendency to explore different states of consciousness while moving back and forth through time. For that reason, in addition to experiencing the ups and downs of Tom's conscious angst, we also step inside his dreams, memories, nightmares, scientific dilemmas, and his life as a character in Izzi's book. The fitting word to describe such a lush mosaic of genius is...well, genius.
Jackman's performance did not earn him an Oscar nomination but probably should have. Not just for the soulful depth he brought to his triple-layered role but for the extraordinary blend of technical and spiritual resources employed to achieve that depth. The overall imagery in The Fountain is pure metaphysical poetry: from flaming swords and golden floating galaxies, to a human body literally blossoming and Tom's ink-black silhouette moving against a backdrop of countless white stars. This is not the kind of movie to which one should give two thumbs up or two thumbs down. It's the kind one should watch and absorb several times over to extract from it as much beauty and wisdom as possible.
by Author-Poet Aberjhani, author of "Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance"