The Fountain has a few leaks

By Jim Feighan
Senior Staff Reporter
December 6, 2006

Director Darren Aronofsky has made a name for himself by creating films where emotions run high and relentlessly keep the audience’s attention in a stranglehold. In his first two feature films, Pi (1998) and Requiem For a Dream (2000), it doesn’t matter how far-fetched the protagonist’s predicaments would get, because the audience had to make sure that Aronofsky’s fateful characters reached the end of their downward spirals. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for his latest film, The Fountain.

Six years in the making, The Fountain primarily follows the undying bond between Thomas (Hugh Jackman) and Izzie (Rachel Weisz), and how their love for each other can’t be compensated with immortality. Aronofsky puts an interesting twist on the hackneyed premise of the love story by placing the characters in three different times in the history of mankind: in the midst of Spanish Inquisition (1500 AD), during medical breakthroughs in an unknown metropolitan city (2000 AD) and in a dreamlike, distant future, where all that remains are intergalactic nebulae and translucent pods (2500 AD). Yes, the last time period is a bit of a stretch.

Throughout these three times, we see Jackman as “Tomas the Conquistador,” “Thomas the skilled surgeon” and “Tom the bald, yoga-enthusiastic immortal.” In each of the time periods, Jackman is obsessed with unraveling the age-old enigma: how to make life everlasting. And his motivation in each is always the woman of his deepest affection, Izzie.

Thomas must surmount his overzealous ways in order to save Izzie, and while he thinks that medicine and ancestral remedies are the key to their salvation, it seems that Thomas’ misplaced love might actually be enough.

While Aronofsky provides a seemingly comprehensible plot for the viewer, the final product couldn’t be a more grueling meal for audiences to swallow in one sitting. The recurring scenes and sappy taglines whispered throughout the film leave the viewer in a constant state of déjà vu. Also, while the three parallel stories are an enjoyable twist to The Fountain, things get muddled when characters from different time periods become entangled in other periods without any explanation.

As for performances, complaints can’t be made. Jackman, although not the first choice for the role (Brad Pitt originally had dibs), shines as he kills Mayan warriors, operates on a chimpanzee’s frontal lobe and misbehaves in such a way that would make one think he’s a dendrophiliac. Weisz plays her role according to Jackman’s moves, never stealing the spotlight.

Overall, The Fountain is a visually-mesmerizing journey through the lives and minds of two star-crossed lovers. There are endless interpretations to what the conclusion of the film actually means. If you’re a fan of Aronofsky’s past works, don’t expect anything like them from The Fountain. What you can look forward to is a contemporary love story that transcends time and humanity; just don’t expect to understand everything when you leave the theater.

feighanj1@lasalle.edu