Color us movie snobs, but there are few movies the Tarpleys consider worth adding to their DVD collection. Recently, we forked up the dough to go see The Fountain. We went hesitantly, fearing that yet again we would be let down by a movie who's trailer looked awesome.
Let me tell you that The Fountain is the best cinematic experience we've had since seeing Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Here's why:
The cinematography is wicked. We spent a lot of time zoomed in on people's faces, which might have been bad if the acting was sub-par. Instead, we experienced emotions as they rolled like thunder clouds across the faces of Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz. Each scene is deliciously colorful. And who would have thought that watching the sillouhette of Jackman as he performs Tai Chi in outer space would be strangely moving? I sure didn't, but it was.
I mentioned the acting above. It was superb. For those of you having a hard time picturing Jackman without an adamantium exoskeleton, let me tell you that he pulls it off masterfully.
The plot is intricately interwoven. It is delicate, and if you don't pay attention and listen closely, you will miss things. This, however, seems to have been done intentionally. You will walk away feeling like you could perform several disparate "viewings." In the end, however, the power and the message of the story is clear.
The soundtrack is eery and gorgeous. If you have any desire to go see this movie, be sure NOT to check out the soundtrack first. Part of the experience is being exposed to the original score as the movie progresses. After the movie, buy the soundtrack. Unlike most original scores, the tracks are between 4-7 minutes long and have great "relisten" value.
Much like the first Matrix movie, there is a significant amount of philosophy lying just beneath the surface. It's fun trying to decode Biblical, Mayan, and Buddhist references.
Hollywood has unfortunately labeled this movie as SciFi. If you're not a fan of SciFi, let it be know that this is more of a cerebral romance/philosophical epic. If you are a fan of SciFi and/or action movies, be warned that there is little of this. But you WILL NOT be bored. You will feast your eyes upon:
- Mayan Indians
- Franciscan Monks
- Conquistadores
- A Grand Inquisitor
- Brain Surgery
- Space Travel
- Er... Botany
DO NOT READ THE COMMENTS of this post if you have not seen the movie. I am going to post my "viewing" of the movie. If you have seen it, I'm curious to see what others thought.
2 Comments:
My viewing:
The "present" is the plotline that takes place in space. All of the scenes that take place in contemporary times are the remembered past. The Conquistador plotline is strictly confined to the story that Weisz is writing.
I think that once Weisz dies, Jackman fulfills her wish to have a tree planted over her grave, but cunningly plants a sapling of the "Tree of Life" they have found in Guatamala whose extracts are having miraculous effects on the monkey. The tree somehow incorporates Weisz into itself, forming a kind of Weisz/Tree hybrid.
Jackman does exactly what he declares he will do: he treats death as a disease, and finds a cure for it by ingesting extracts from the Tree of Life. This allows him to live for however long it takes for humanity to become space faring. He then devises a way to build a ship capable of supporting a self-sustaining ecosystem comprised of the Tree of Life, himself, some water, etc.
Jackman takes the Tree/Weisz on a thousand year voyage to Xibalba and arrives just in time for Xibalba to explode.
The wedding ring symbolizes Jackman being in-sync with the spirit of Weisz. He loses it when his selfish quest to keep her alive takes priority over actually loving her. He only finds it at the very end, when he takes her advice to "finish it."
Finishing it entails accepting that the culmination of life is death, and that only through death can greater life be born. This last revelation takes place in all three storylines. He "finishes" Weisz's book by imagining the last scene where the Conquistador ingests the sap of the tree of life (which leads to his death). He "finishes" in the contemporary story line by imagining what he should have done (go with her on that walk to find a seed, and then plant the seed she wanted over her grave). He "finishes" the space story line by experiencing the supernova of Xibalba, which replenishes and renews the Tree of Life. In all three he admits that "death is the road to awe" and plays out the First Father narrative.
All I can say is Wow. Im not sure how to articularte my feelings for this movie but I can say that I dont cry at movies, especially at a theater. Sure I've watched a few movies that have jerked out a tear or two, but this one really got me. I really loved the acting, jackman has broken out of his action hero persona, the lighting, music, you name it. My wife and I will diffentaly be adding this one, as well as the soundtrack, to our library.
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