The Fountain is a new film written and directed by Darren Aronofsky- the warped mind also responsible for Requiem for a Dream and Pi. He's been compared to Kubric by some for his visionary approach to filmmaking. In bygone days, The Fountain might have been labeled "trip flicks" but now it just seems freaky and independent and most people can't figure it out or don't bother trying.



In The Fountain, Aronofsky tells three parallel stories--about "love, death, spirituality, and the fragility of existence" --as told through the odyssey taken on by one man in his thousand-year struggle to save the woman he loves. It takes us from 16th-century Spain to modern times (which seem pretty postmodern to me) and then some kind of deep space 26th century. Hugh Jackman plays the 3 main characters of each time-sequence but you'd never recognize him from one era of the film to the next.





If you enjoy understanding a movie or in any way dislike having to think during a film, you will not necessarily be a fan of The Fountain. It's a bit baffling in its symbolism and vague on actual explanation. It's up to the audience to interpret what's going on... there is NO spoon-feeding in this film. It is a bit pretentious, extremely ambitious, and it's hard not to be impressed by it.

Here's a few extra facts I dug up about The Fountain: Apparently, in early 2002, Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett were cast in the central leads\with a budget of $75 million. During pre-production, Pitt and Aronofsky were having major creative differences, so Pitt left to film Troy (2004) instead and the film was shut down. In early 2004, with a smaller budget of $35 million, Aronofsky cast Hugh Jackman instead of Pitt, and Rachel Weisz replaced Blanchett. As much as I love Cate Blanchette, I think Rachel Weisz was a very wise decision. She is awesome in this movie.



Another really interesting nugget: instead of using CGI, Aronofsky chose to do the special effects for the film by using micro-photography of chemical reactions on tiny petri dishes. He has said that CGI would take away from the timelessness of the film and that he wants the film to stand the test of time. He certainly achieves a unique visual sense for the film by doing it this way. It's kind of stunning really.

There's a bunch of other great actors in it including Ellen Burstyn, Sean Patrick Thomas, Ethan Suplee (the guy who plays Randy on My Name is Earl). All put in great performances but none more surprising than Earl's brother in a serious role:




If you have time to kill and are interested in more on this movie, here's the link to the Toronto International Film Festival press conference stream that you can watch. CLICK HERE TO WATCH! It's always fun to hear the actors talk about their work on such unique projects.

Long story short, The Fountain is intense. It's fantasy and romance and sci-fi and historical epic all rolled into one. One movie on crack that is. Bizarre and intense, but also really intriguing and beautiful. Check it out, but leave your reality check at the door.

-Minx.