The Fountain

"The Fountain"
Darren Aronofsky, 2006

"The Fountain" is an ambitious undertaking, a science-fiction romance that attempts to transcend the constraints of typical, more terrestrial relationships. Hugh Jackman plays Tom, a character who exists on three planes of existence; as a conquistador who tries to find the Tree of Life, as a temperamental surgeon who operates on monkeys, and as a bald hermit inhabiting a bubble that floats through space. Tom spends every moment of his existence trying to find eternal happiness with his wife, Izzi, who is played by Rachel Weisz. She, too, exists on multiple planes of being; as the queen of Spain, as a wife who is dying from a mysterious illness, and as a huge tree that floats through space with Tom.

"The Fountain"'s technical aspects are nearly impeccable: Aronofsky's sound is appropriately spare; and the cinematographer Matthew Libatique gives the film a unique appearance, lighting Tom so that he appears to be a solitary figure amidst a blanket of darkness, a desperate man who is intent only on being united with his wife. But in all its visual and aural slickness, and in Aronofsky's ambitious attempt to make his film a transcending work of art, there is an essential element that is missing - the romance. This is an incredibly cold movie, and there is simply no chemistry between our two protagonists. We witness some acts of love, but we don't feel the romance, an essential part of trying to empathize with Tom and his journey. And then there is the nature of the film's theme: it seems to be something about how all aspects of life are unified. Aronofsky presents this as something that is incredibly profound, throwing in many random, cryptic quotes for good measure, but I fail to see what makes it so unique. In the end, this is just a film with some very pretty visuals, and a confounding and disappointingly aloof story.

Rating: 5.5

First Viewed: 8/6/08, on Blu-ray Disc - IMDb