This is a film that
has not won universal praise...in fact, some people have reviled it.
This is not a $150 million blockbuster with twenty huge stars.
This is a deeply personally, beautiful and poetic film that has me
on the verge of tears just from remembering it.
"The Fountain" is the best film of 2006. In a year that has
brought us "United 93," "The Departed," "The Prestige," "Little Miss
Sunshine," "The Lives of Others," "Casino Royale" and "Borat," this
is the best of what has become ultimately one of the best years in
recent memory.
I saw "The Fountain" with a large group and the post-film
conversation was a good one; everyone has a different take on the
experience. There was confusion. Their was adoration. There were
several "I'm not sure if I like it yet" comments. Several of the
party decided that they needed to see it again before locking down
an opinion.
I knew I was watching something special late in the film, during a
sequence that rapidly cuts back and forth between modern day, the
1500s and the distant future, using the same actors and often
allowing bits of one time period to slip into another.
Why was this sequence happening? That would be spoilers, my
friend.
What exactly IS this sequence? That's the beauty: you find the
meaning.
Idea driven films are often lacking these days. As audience members,
we need a coherent plot with a beginning, a middle and an end. We
don't want to THINK.
There is no real plot in "The Fountain." If this turns you off,
don't watch it. This is an experimental arthouse film at its core.
The trailers have made it look like a science fiction adventure and
that is definitely what it is not.
Although it is science fiction. This is science fiction in the
vein of "2001: A Space Odyssey." Big ideas. Brave storytelling.
Although this is only Darren Aronofsky's third film, he is one of
the bravest and most passionate artists working today. This is his
film, his vision and you can tell that nothing was tampered with by
studios because of how genuinely unique and beautiful the whole
thing is.
You may have noted that I have avoided any sort of plot details in
this review. That is intentional. You should go into this one blind
if you go in at all. I will say that it starts Hugh Jackman and
Rachel Weisz and I will say that Jackman's work here is so brave and
remarkable that an Oscar nomination is definitely in order. Although
this is a film of ideas, both actors create deep and interesting
characters, a necessity for a film that would have died without an
emotional core.
Ultimately, "The Fountain" is about love, death and creation. It is
one of the best films I have seen on these subjects.
At it's core, beautiful visuals aside, this is a love story.
And one of the best of all time.
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