The Fountain

Darren Aronofsky's The Fountain is a rather unusual film. It floats between romance and philosophical drama yet it stays focused on themes of life and death. And knowing Aronofsky, I could sense he could handle this easily.

I mean, he made the most hideous depiction of substance abuse in the form of Requiem for a Dream. And The Wrestler and Black Swan shows how far a person can push themselves physically. If anyone could make a philosophical art film about life and death, it would be Aronofsky.

Starring in The Fountain are Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz, both ideal for their several roles. However, this show belongs to Jackman. To think he was known for his action movie roles then. This is proof that he's a legit actor and will be getting more serious roles in the near future. (Well, this, The Prestige and more recently Les Miserables.)

Of course, I must talk about Clint Mansell's score. When paired with a scene of Jackman's character enduring absolute heartbreak, it rises the film to a new level. Also, Matthew Libatique's cinematography is equally gorgeous. (The best feature? Weisz being captured in an ethereal white light.)

The Fountain, as mentioned above, is a very gorgeous film. The story loses something in certain scenes but both Aronofsky and Jackman keep the film afloat for a majority of the time. It's not the best of the Aronofsky films I've seen but it's definitely the most intriguing of them all.

My Rating: ****1/2