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A good love story is hard to find these days. Too often, Hollywood's idea of romance involves the same recycled formula: Girl meets boy, girl hates boy, boy charms girl and a happy ending ensues. On the opposite end of the spectrum, heavy melodramas about heartache and death often lack entertainment value. Reality lies somewhere between these two extremes, and can sometimes be found in the least likely of places - fantasy.
Darren Aronofsky's The Fountain is a haunting science-fiction film about life, love and death, and none are sugarcoated here. The reality is life is fleeting, love is painful and death is inevitable, but The Fountain challenges viewers to think of death as an act of creation rather than destruction. The story is not a spiritual lecture, but rather an epic fantasy. With a wildly original script, bold visuals and powerful performances, The Fountain is one of the year's most thought-provoking films.
The narrative is composed of three parallel story lines, each set in different time periods but involving the same two people. All stories revolve around a man (Hugh Jackman, The Prestige) desperately trying to protect the woman he loves (Rachel Weisz, The Constant Gardener) from her impending death.
At one end of the timeline, a 16th century Spanish queen faces certain execution unless her loyal conquistador can find the fountain of immortality, long hidden by the Mayans. Centuries later, a modern-day doctor tries frantically to cure his dying wife of her malignant brain tumor. And finally, a 26th century man takes a celestial journey in a last-ditch effort to be forever with his true love. The three stories are beautifully interwoven, but to elaborate further would spoil the film.
The common theme between these stories is a man (all three played by Jackman) unwilling to let go of the woman he loves, even if it means battling Mayan warriors, a cancerous tumor or his own mind in the isolation of deep space. And each of the three men quests for immortality, be it literally or figuratively.
But writer/director Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream) conveys the message that death in itself is a path to immortality. The film frequently alludes to the ancient Mayans, who believed time was cyclical and death was a means to re-birth. The Fountain does not preach, but merely presents a fantastical interpretation of an ancient philosophy and its relevancy to the modern world.
Although the film is a love story between two people, most of the film's emotional weight rests on Jackman. Fountain is very much about his characters' journey from dark to light and from denial to acceptance. The role requires a lot of depth, and Jackman is more than up to the task; he gives an intense, believable performance that is sure to garner much critical acclaim. And even though Weisz spends considerably less time on-screen, their characters' love is undoubtable because Jackman so perfectly conveys a man boiling with passion and desperation. Forget Wolverine - here is someone who would traverse centuries just to save the one he loves.
Most impressive are the film's visual effects. Instead of using computer-generated imagery (CGI), the director created outer-space scenery using images of chemical and bacterial reactions. The resulting footage was cheaper and considerably more realistic. Other impressive effects are accomplished using practical techniques, while computers were only used for facial touch-ups and set extensions. Few films today - let alone an elaborate science-fiction film - dare to limit CGI so drastically, but even if you hate The Fountain, you have to respect this bold and inventive move by Aronofsky.
But the biggest downside of The Fountain is its pace, especially in the beginning of the film, which tends to be slow-moving. The story is also complicated and takes some time to fully understand, cementing its status as a love-it-or-hate-it movie for viewers. Mainstream audiences may not be accustomed to a film like this, but with a little patience and an open mind, one should appreciate where The Fountain succeeds both as science fiction and romance. The film is not perfect - and not even Aronofsky's best work - but it excels nonetheless.
One of this film's biggest influences, 2001: A Space Odyssey, was deemed a failure upon release in 1968. Today, it is hailed as brilliant and groundbreaking. In the same way, perhaps The Fountain will only earn its acclaim when people are ready for it - but much like its predecessor, this film is bound to stand the test of time.
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