Fountain
There are all kinds of movies out there of course, from big mindless popcorn flicks to cheesy little teen horror romps, but perhaps the toughest kind of work to pull off is that of the abstract, esoteric piece from which several different interpretations can be gleaned from different viewers. David Lynch is undoubtedly the master of this âgenreâ, but here director Darren (The Wrestler) Aronofsky tries his hand at it with this 2006 release, which follows three main characters (all played by the same actor) through three different time periods in search of the conquest of death itself. Hugh Jackman (much of whose performance consists of intense close-ups) is first seen playing a conquistador in Spain a thousand years ago, sent by his queen to find the tree of life (from the Garden Of Eden) so that Spain may be saved from the tyranny of the Inquisitors, even as the story is never resolved properly so that we know if he accomplished it or not. Then Jackman is seen as a modern-day scientist involved in a desperate search for a ground-breaking cancer cure in order to save his stricken wife (Rachel Weisz), and finally Jackman is seen far in the future in some kind of eco-sphere spaceship (and apparently on a higher metaphysical plane than most of us) heading towards an interstellar supernova in search of ultimate truth. Now, while it might be easy to believe that each Jackman incarnation is actually one and the same (and the future version clearly has some control over the present day one), this viewer was never quite clear as to whether Jackman was either immortal or rather just reincarnated over and over again to continue his mission. Indeed, with a mere 96-minute running time, not enough info is relayed to allow the story to breathe (as is so vital in this kind of work, evident by many of Lynchâs films), and thus the viewer never gets fully settled with the concept to the point that any and all ideas may be thrown at him to further the non-linear narrative, and as a result the emotional payoff which seems to come in the final scenes is rather diluted (something Lynch never had a problem with until the overkill that was Inland Empire), with the overwhelming awe that one would expect not quite coming to fruition. Still, as a purely visual piece the artistry of the filmmaking is remarkable, as Aronofsky chose to forego CGI in favor of a more organic feel, particularly in the outer space scenes, with a final scene for âfuture Jackmanâ that would have made Stanley Kubrick proud. The score by Clint Mansell and Kronos Quartet compliments the otherworldly atmosphere well, and the technical aspects of the film continue to be top notch by Aronofsky standards. As for the story itself, this may be an example of being too abstract, and when the Mayan civilization dynamic is referenced and brought into the story, this viewer honestly couldnât help but roll his eyes, since Lynch was never specific about revealing his sources. The story never takes enough time in each period, and the three plotlines thus never quite gel as smoothly as they could as a result, even as the performances by Jackman, Weisz, and Ellen Burstyn as an older scientist carry things well. Overall, a nice attempt by Aronofsky to venture into territory few filmmakers dare to tread, and hopefully one day a longer directorâs cut will see a release in order to get everything just about perfectâŚ
7/10