This weekend I found myself with some spare time and nothing to do with it. So I went to see Aronofsky's The Fountain. If you'd like to see this movie, I'd recommend not going to it if you want to see something to alleviate your loneliness. This movie just amplifies whatever loneliness and isolation you bring with you.
I didn't come away from this movie with the feeling that it was a good or a bad movie. I think the movie is thought-provoking, so take that however you want.
The acting in it is superb, as are the plot, special effects, and score. You empathize with Tom (Hugh Jackman) when he loses his wife Izzy (Rachel Weisz). In fact, you empathize with Tom's character the whole movie through, as he is constantly on the "impossible" mission. From finding a tree at the top of a hidden Mayan temple to finding a cure for brain cancer to getting the Tree of Life to Xibulba before the star goes nova, you hope that life gives Tom a break for once.
The plot was very interesting, and while I can see why the three points in time are interwoven in the movie, I think a plausible case could be made for viewing the movie sequentially. I found the "past" segments felt more like watching hero characters than real people.
I recommend going to this movie in a small theater with a couple "artsy" friends. The special effects are amazing and I think an argument can be made to bring back non-computer methods of creating special effects.
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3 comments:
Another great review.
It's been ages since I've gone to a movie.
Could you be more specific about the argument for bringing back non-computer methods of creating special effects?
Of course! I kind of ran out of steam yesterday when I was writing this post. There's a lot of weird stuff in this movie to talk about.
In lieu of using CGI special effects, Aronofsky used micro-photography to film chemical reactions in petri-dishes. So in all the gorgeous space sequences are actually chemicals swirling around. Basically, this was the only (and more creative) way to get the visuals required with the budget he had. The Fountain's trivia page on IMDB mentioned that Aronofsky also wanted the movie to have a timeless, organic feel, so I suppose one could argue that point on the special effects as well.
My favorite visuals in the movie are in one of the "past" scenes, when Tomas meets Isabel in her throneroom. The room is dark, and there are lanterns suspended at different lengths, so it looks (to me) that you have a queen sitting among the stars. It's truly beautiful.
I purposefully haven't discussed any thematic interpretation in my review, because I think this movie is supposed to make you think. If I tell you what I think the movie is about (beyond what everyone seems to say the movie is about), you're going to watch the movie with a bias that's not supposed to be there. That, and I'm not even sure what it's supposed to be about.
So now I've been thinking about the movie a lot and am going to have to "correct" my review:
The "past" parts of the movie are the book. This is why the characters in the past portions seem flat and "hero" like.
The "future" parts of the movie are what's going on in Tom's head. This is why Izzy is represented by the Tree of Life. Everything Tom does is for Izzy, even though (at times) he neglects their relationship.
Queen Isabel and the Xibulba nebula are one and the same: in dying, our souls go there to be reborn (re-sent).
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