Thought provoking and visually stimulating.

Rating: 8/10 (17 October 2006)

I was able to catch a screening of The Fountain at the Chicago Film Festival and I enjoyed the film very much. Personally, I think Aronofsky did a great job integrating the multiple story lines into one film. In this particular film, I don't think a single cohesive idea was the point most likely due to the film's subject matter.
With the film's spiritual and mystical motifs, Aronofsky is playful with the viewer by crafting a story-line that is both complete and incomplete, something that mysticism encompasses. Also considering the existential perspective on eternal life, the movie takes a good look at eternal life by defying a specific time frame, a specific place, and specific identities. Aronofsky exemplifies this defiance, by interlacing the multiple perspectives of each of the characters throughout the movie.
The score accentuates the dramatic moments very well, and visually I think the people who watch this movie will gravitate towards the screen especially during the very organic scenes of hair, bark, and skin.
Some might walk away feeling a little dissatisfied with the film because it isn't a clearcut film with a definite beginning and end. In fact,looking back on the film, Aronofsky overall, did a good job of approaching the paradoxical themes of the film.
Perhaps because of its paradoxical content, it may have one of harder projects for Aronofsky to tackle, considering he stated that it took 6 years to make. To create a film that thoroughly approaches the paradox of everlasting life through death, Aronofsky's "The Fountain" will most likely leave you asking, "What does it all mean?"