THE FOUNTAIN

Kat and Tyler: lll.5

The Fountain juxtaposes three stories, which follow the powerful romance between the two main characters, performed by Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz, across time periods 500 years apart. The first relates the mission of Conquistador Tomas, sent by the beautiful queen Isabel to discover the Fountain of Youth, lost somewhere in the Mayan Empire since it was vanished by God from Eden. Upon finding the Fountain, embodied in a mysterious tree, Tomas may take the hand of the Queen in eternal marriage. In the second story, Tommy begins to discover the medical secrets of a long forgotten Central American tree as his wife dies slowly due to an untreatable tumor. Five centuries later, Tom finds himself travelling through open space with a tree that allows him to extend his life indefinitely, despite lacking food or water.

Each one of these stories is charged with remarkeably honest performances, subtle details and stunning imagery. Together, they create an insightful tapestry of the meaning of loss, mourning, and the hypothetical of eternal life. It is then unfortunate that the interconnections between the stories are unclear and generally convoluted, ultimately weakening the message and impact of the movie. The combination of three different genres, historical fiction, drama and futuristic sci-fi, does not produce the expected results, but instead left me confused. There is not a clear understanding of which is the central story and despite careful observation it is still difficult to assess the connections between Hugh Jackman's characters. As the movie progresses it appears that the first story with which the movie started may in fact be a fictional narration by Tommy's wife Izi, as she is dying of a tumor. This sems hard to believe given the vivid character of the 16th century story and the centrality given to it, but more so because it does not represent the experiences of Izi, who finds herself acepting the inevitability of death while Queen Isabel is sending the Conquistador to save Spain from the chains of death. Additionally, it is not completely clear whether the astronaut is the same man as the doctor, reaching the last moments of his existence after five centuries alive, or whether it is another fictional creation, this time in the mind of Tommy as he tries to cope with mortality.

The Fountain is a beautifull collection of images that shows Jackman's quest to save the woman that he loves. I particularly enjoyed the relationship between the two characters, expressed by subtle details, such as morning kisses, gentle baths and loving looks, as well as vivid colors and moving performaces. Weisz is remarkable in this movie, particularly in how she expresses emotions without uttering a word. She is absolutely breathtaking. Even more central is Hugh Jackman, who succeeds in providing his most honest and thoughtful performance to date.

The result is a movie that builds high expectations and hypnotizes the audience with breathtaking images, remarkable acting and thoughtful direction, but ultimately fails to deliver on its promises of being a classic film. Contrary to Roger Ebert's suggestion in his review of this movie, it does not reach the level of much better crafted works such as Magnolia or Babel.

Most importanly, it fails at providing a unique message on the profound issues it attempts to address. It is difficult to fully connect with the main character's evolution, because it feels unreal, rushed and unpolished. While it successfully conveys the fear of losing what is most dear, in this case beautfifully embodied by Weisz, it then fails at demonstrating how to let go by giving mixed signals about what may come next. The movie loosely interchanges the concept of living eternally after death and of an absolute void. While thre are hints at religion, especially from the innitial quest for the Fountain of Youth, it is also unclear whether a supernatural force has a role in their lives or not. The result is understandably frustrating, particularly from a philosophical standpoint.

Despite its frustrating shortcomings, many of which have been made clear by critics across the world, The Fountain is an ambitious cinematic effort, which is ultimately moving, insightful and enjoyable.

- Kat and Tyler