Darren Aronofsky's The Fountain follows the story of a man who seemingly travels across three worlds. One as a conquistador, another as a scientist, and the last one as a monk. The proper plot of The Fountain is perhaps up to interpretation, but it is definitely a film worth watching at least a couple of times. While the multiple-world storyline is not new, Aronofksy's use of it make for a surreal yet beautiful experience of a tale of love, death, meaning, and acceptance.
The Fountain is without a doubt, a very unique film in that its meaning is almost obscure and abstract yet quite concrete. As the film progresses, we can see changes in the characters and more specifically their views on certain subjects, Hugh Jackman's three-roles will also stay in your mind for quite some time after watching the film as The Fountain is another film that shows his remarkable range.
The film itself is a work of art, a narrative-commentary on perhaps the meaning of life and death. It features a somewhat simple, yet very memorable score composed by Clint Mansell which does a fantastic job of alleviating the storyline. From a narrative point of view, The Fountain is a film that you are not meant to be explained to. The film asks you as the viewer to find the meaning yourself.
Furthermore, the cinematography of The Fountain is gorgeous and artistic, it really felt as if every shot carried so much weight and meaning, this accompanied with the three-world-storyline and surreal dialogue do a great job of wrapping up together an unexpectedly joyful and bittersweet experience of a film.
Ultimately, if you want a film that will make you continuously think about its meaning, attach you to delicate yet detailed characters, and also make you question your own worldview, the Fountain is a movie worth watching. Do not let the 2006 release date fool you, for the film itself still holds up to the current day, largely in part because of its complexity and curious storyline.
Review of The Fountain
