Review of The Fountain (2006) by Ross M — 14 Dec 2012

The Fountain is a profound and abstract work of cinema that can be interpreted in many ways, which is what makes this movie unique.

I won't delve into my own interpretations of the three storylines presented in the movie, but I will say that all three share a love story between two reincarnating souls. Also tackled are the fear of death and the search for immortality. The latter is however ironic, since the reappearance of these souls through the span of a thousand years already indicates a form of immortality, in which case, the main idea of the movie is about understanding immortality as well as death. The end result really gets the viewer to think, and in a good way at that.

Hugh Jackman delivers a powerful performance, especially in the second storyline. Such raw emotion isn't easy to master, but he emits plenty of it to make the love story between his character and Rachel Weisz's moving. And this relationship does help pave the path between each storyline, making it the most important of the three storylines in my opinion, even if it isn't the most symbolic.

The visual aspects of The Fountain stand out, considering it was done on a lower budget than it was intended. There were some fantasticly composed shots, while the CGI was used only when necessary, making its presence welcome and captivating.

Great musical score too, it certainly suited the mood.

Well, I must say that The Fountain was one of my most ambiguous movie viewings since 2001: A Space Odyssey. I'm honestly surprised at all the negative criticism for this movie while 2001, which was hard to digest as well, got critically acclaimed. If you like movies like 2001, The Fountain should be right up your alley.