The Fountain
So, I recently purchased The Fountain on DVD. I saw it in theaters months ago, but as with any other Darren Aronofsky film, you have to watch it at least twice to wrap your head around it. If you’re unfamiliar with his work, I highly suggest watching the Requiem For A Dream and Pi.
The Fountain is a beautifully crafted film. Even if you don’t understand it, it’s lovely to watch.. and not in the way of plastic looking special effects. While it could easily fall under the sci-fi, drama, romance, and even action genres of film, it’s really how you interpret the film. The movie seamlessly and simultaneously tells the story of three men and three women, each pair from different eras in time. Their stories are different, but the themes are similar if not the same.
The underlying theme of the movie is the concept of death as a passage to life. I think that’s pretty clear. There are also themes of redemption, sacrifice, and suffering present in each of the sub-stories. More interesting to me though, is how much the film says about pure human nature.
If you haven’t seen it, I recommend you watch it. Darren Aronofsky films aren’t for everyone… but if you like this one, I think you’ll like the others. Requiem For A Dream is far more intense, and more visual in a different way. It’s on my (unpublished) list of films everyone must see. Let me know what you think in the comments!