This week I went to see Darren Aronofsky's new film The Fountain. I don't generally look at reviews before I go to see a film, but when I saw the BBC Movies website had only given it two stars I found myself looking around to see if the film I had be so eagerly awaiting had turned out to be appalling. I found that the reviews tended to be split 50-50, with some people hating it, and others thinking it was fantastic, much like the reviews for Waking Life.
So I turned up not really knowing what to expect, I had seen the trailer and justifiably assumed it would bear little resemblance to the actual substance of the film (time travel? right.). I was blown away, this is truly the greatest film I have seen in a very long time; afterwards I felt as though a wave had washed over me, my mind buzzing and spinning with the depth of the experience, the new ideas it had awoken inside of me. The film takes the single event of a death and zooms in on it to such a point that it turns into a whole lifetime, a whole age of evolution. I can't recall any other film I have seen that has adopted this viewpoint, The Hours has a similar central theme, but doesn't delve into the pure emotion and humanity of the experience, or expand it out in the way The Fountain does.
The majestic score is provided by Mogwai and Clint Mansell (who scored Aronofsky's other two films) and really breathes a whole new dimension into the pictures. The whole film has a beautiful, rich, golden, organic feel to it which is sometimes complemented by full orchestration and at other times juxtaposed with distortion-filled electronica. Particularly of note is the final credits music which is incredibly sensitive to your feeling at the end of the movie and really pins you to your seat allowing you to meditate over the events of the film.
It is more "arty" and more directly philosophical than his other two films, and isn't going to be for everyone (as the reviews have shown), but if you come at it from the right place then it has the potential to really flourish.
This is indeed a very rich experience, I found myself unable to sleep the night I saw it due to the impact it made, especially the visual impact which is unlike anything i’ve seen. As wasnt quite mentioned, the acting in The Fountain is also quite stunning, and the portrayal of death is among the most moving ever seen on the big screen. Highly recommended …
I agree. The acting was much better than I expected. I was a little suspicious that having well known actors in the film would in some way ruin any effect it may have had on me, but i was wrong. Hugh Jackman inparticular was stunning. Regarding how this film compares to Aronofsky’s others - I wouldn’t say that ‘The Fountain’ was more ‘arty’ than his previous (PI certinaly) but it is certainly more philosophical. For me, ultimately, an art movie made for a more mainstream audience but not making compromises in its delivery of a great experience.
I’m another fan of this movie. It truly is an audio and visual feast for the senses, and it’s expression of the limits to which a person will strive for the love of another, was among the most beautiful portrayals I’ve seen on screen. A wonderful, wonder-filled film.