A beautiful, but very strange, hymn to life, death, and love

Rating: 10/10 (18 January 2011)

Darren Arenofsky has created an EXTREMELY original film in The Fountain. And, while it may not connect with most people, I found it to be beautiful.
Tommy(Hugh Jackman) and his wife Izzi(Rachel Weiz) live an idyllic life in the 21st century. But, appearances are never as they seem. Tommy is a brilliant scientist. His goal: cure Izzi, who is dying of Cancer. But, before Izzi dies, she plans to finish the book she's been writing, a book titled The Fountain. The Fountain details the following story: In The 1500s, Queen Isabella of Spain sends her best Conquistidor, Thomas to the jungles of Mexico to hunt for a mysterious hidden temple of the Mayan people. According to Mayan legend, the Mayan creator, First Father, sacrificed himself in this temple in order to create the Mayan people. His body became a tree, and his soul, its branches. This is known to the Mayans as The Tree of Life. It is said that anyone that drinks its sap will be able to live forever. She gives Thomas a ring, and tells him that if he should find the tree, and he returns to Spain, he and the Queen will be married, and together, they shall live forever.
Tommy seems to recall these events as if he has lived them himself. But, seeing as there is 500 years difference, that is physically impossible. Except, that is, if Thomas found the Tree of Life.
In the year 2500, a aging Tommy is reacing through Space in a strange bubble. The only company he has is a tree, which is the body of his deceased wife, Izzi. His target, the Mayan underworld, Xibalba (pronounced "shibalba"),which is, in actuality, a Nebula wrapping around a dying star. Tommy is heading here in order to be reborn, so he can live with Izzi forever.
As odd as this film sounds, everything ties together in the end, and makes a strange but powerful tale of one man's undying love for the woman he loves, and how far he will go to be with her forever