Review of The Fountain (2006) by Anna L — 12 Feb 2013

Spellbinding portrait of love and death spanning space and time. The film charts the relationship of Tommy (Hugh Jackman) and Izzi (Rachel Weisz) but dispenses with narrative in any traditional sense, instead choosing to cut between two metaphorical realities and the real world. From a distant future among the stars, 16th century Spain and modern day America it chronicles Tommy coping with potentially losing Izzi to illness, and how he deals with his grief.

Artfully shot by Aronofsky, it makes use of a recurring colour palette of rich golds that (along with the actors) tie the disparate universes together, so although there may be confusion about where and when events are taking place, there is still a comforting familiarity. Hugh Jackman does a fantastic job in the 3 separate roles, creating a believable character with relatable emotions despite the occasionally baffling structure. But it's the bizarre make-up of the film that makes it so deeply affecting, allowing its pathos to creep up without being spelt out in melodrama. This enables it to tackle the biggest of subjects - death, love, acceptance of loss - in a way that neither feels exploitative nor mawkish, evoking 'genuine emotion' and not simply pulling heartstrings with a classical score and profound last words. Aronofsky is an incredibly tactile film-maker, giving all his films a strong physical feeling of movement and touch - often with creative use of tight claustrophobic framing - and 'The Fountain' is no different, employing the same techniques but in a way which delivers a potent emotional impact as well. This is all achieved within a brief 96 minute running time, and all the better for it, staying centred on its vision without meandering off and attempting to answer all the questions it asks - leaving that to the audience, a perfect mix of ambiguity and focus. Undeniably pretentious, and at times seemingly inviting ridicule, 'The Fountain' is still confident and powerful enough to quash these negative thoughts - and to sweep the audience up in its intoxicating melancholy.