Something To Believe In

Darren Aronofsky's The Fountain is the worst movie I've seen in quite some time. It is truly, tragically awful. The only thing I can say in its favor is that it's mercifully short (96 minutes).

It makes me sad that it's so terrible. I mean, this picture is pretty awesome:


But the film fails to achieve a balance betwixt its narrative & its magic. It can't decide whether it wants to adhere to a more traditional concept of story, & work its magic within those confines; or whether it wants to stretch its wings & take flight into a realm of pure imagination. The end result is that it fails to do either, & images that had the potential to be powerfully moving are instead giggle-inducing (like the one above).

I admire its refusal to explain itself in the beginning; it doesn't tell you why Tommy (Hugh Jackman) is both battling Mayans & meditating inside gold sparkles. But it does attempt to present a story in the present; that Tommy is some sort of brain tumor researcher whose wife, Izzy, just happens to be dying from a brain tumor. Izzy is played by Rachel Weisz, an actress I've never seen in a film before. Unfortunately, Aronofsky (her real-life partner) gives her precious little to do except smile luminously as she accepts her imminent death, so I have no idea whether she's any good or not.

The root of the film's problem is that it demands you merely accept Tommy & Izzy's love unquestioningly, but gives you no indication that it actually exists, other than present-day Tommy being totally obsessed with "saving" his wife. I didn't believe in their love, & I was upset that the film just expected me to believe it. The film is too head in the clouds to allow you to accept narrative conventions that would be easy to believe in a better told story (for example, I also watched Carol Reed's The Third Man this weekend, a walloping good yarn that was so expertly constructed I willingly forgave its lapses of logic).

On the other hand, the film also wants you to accept its magic. But it's too grounded in narrative to let the viewer's imagination have room to take flight. So it's just kind of gross when shaved-head-futuristic Tommy breaths on the dying tree he is insisting on saving, pretty much makes out with it, & then eats pieces of it. The film explains too much to allow the viewer to think.

It's disappointing that The Fountain is so singularly awful; I truly admire its intent. And it is a very unique construction within the realm of contemporary cinema, which is always cause for celebration. Darren Aronofsky is a extremely talented filmmaker, & I deeply admire his work (Pi; Requiem for a Dream). It's just that the film itself isn't any good.