Not for everyone

Rating: 7/10 (15 April 2011)

This chronicles several lives of the characters of Jackman and Weisz, who are always connected to one another(they were different relationships, but they always knew and cared about each other). It's about love, destiny, death, spirituality, the circle of life, nature and our fragile existence in this world. You won't completely know what's going on until the end, and it leaves things open for interpretation. This has been called a new generation's 2001: A Space Odyssey, and to an extent, the comparison can at least be made. While the running time is a mere 87 minutes sans credits, this does have a slow pace(there at those who'd outright say it drags). As far as level of detail, poetry of cinematography(don't get me wrong, this does look good, and there are some stunning visuals) and dramatic effect, this has nothing on Kubrick's film. The score is great. This makes you think(is it about accepting loss, or fighting until the end? Etc.), and the philosophy has some roots in Eastern religion, and explores the idea of living forever, present in many, perhaps most, faiths. There is little CGI, instead the majority of the FX are unique and organic, as they are, quite simply, not fake or staged... it's micro-photography of chemical reactions in petri dishes. The acting is well-done and the characters are relatively swiftly developed(they aren't lingered on, usually), though it really isn't the focus, and you don't go out of this remembering either that strongly. The DVD comes with a short production called Life on a Boat that I'm not sure I "get", and a feature-length 64 minute documentary called Inside the Fountain, which I will review on its separate page here on the site. There is some violence and sensuality in this. I recommend this to those who believe they will enjoy it. 7/10