Review of The Fountain (2006) by Panta O — 21 Aug 2012

I got this movie on a recommendation of one of my RT friends and I am glad I watched it. This romantic drama/fantasy/historical/religious/science fiction is directed by Darren Aronofsky who casts perfectly Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz. Interesting concept presents three storylines with different sets of characters: a modern-day scientist and his cancer-stricken wife, a conquistador and his queen, and a spiritual (or space) traveler in the future who contenplates of his lost love. The storylines are all interwoven with recurring visual motifs-reflecting the themes of love and mortality.

The initial plan of Aronofsky to direct The Fountain on a $70 million budget with Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett in the lead roles went down the drain with Pitt's withdrawal and cost overruns leading Warner Bros. to shut down production. He needed to rewrite the script to be sparser, and resurrected the film with a $35 million budget with Jackman and Weisz in the lead roles. This time the production mainly took place on a sound stage in Montreal, Quebec, and the director used macro photography to create key visual effects for The Fountain at a low cost.

The main theme of fear of death won't me too attractive for the younger audience (of course there is always a few exceptions) but the way it is presented, like a journey of a human scared of death and moving towards it while understanding the significance of it all, could attract anyone interested in deeper answers about life or existence.

Perfect movie to bring you understanding that sometimes we waste too much time in a search for immortality, when the truth of life is mortality!