The fountainThe eternal battle with death is the one which we all fight and lose. Throughout history, various beliefs have held death and its role in life in different--yet, at times, similar--fashion. There are ideas of the soul transgressing the physical world for the next via ascetic enlightenment, the worship of science--and that through our advances--we can conquer death, and even the myth of a fountain of youth. If only we could reach that impossible peak and touch the stars, death would hold no dominion over us, and we would never have our hearts broken, to lose those we love. If only.
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The Fountain is a tripartite story of a man whose soul is tormented as he struggles to conquer death. Dr. Thomas "Tommy" Creo (Hugh Jackman) is a gifted--if reckless--surgeon who is in the fevered pursuit of a cure for cancer. It is not out of any grand altruistic humanitarian effort, but because his wife is dying from it. For Tommy, her life rests in his hands--should she die, he has failed. This is a familiar response to grief, because although he knows she is dying, he refuses to let himself feel that he is powerless to prevent it. Tommy's breakthrough comes in the form of a sample from a tree in Guatemala--a procedure which has the properties of revitalizing others, but does not reflect the real fruits of his efforts: saving his wife, Izzi (Rachel Weisz). Izzi has been coping with her imminent death with grace, embracing the idea that "death is an act of creation". She is drawn to the Mayan myth of the tree of life, and the advent of the departed into Xibalba, the Mayan interpretation of the underworld, represented by a star in the sky embraced by a nebula. She writes a story called "The Fountain", ostensibly influenced by the efforts of conquistadors like Ponce de Leon to seek out the "Fountain of Youth", although this tale has unmistakable parallels to Tommy's own life. The main character in the story is Tomas (also Hugh Jackman), a patriotic warrior who rails against the cancer of the Inquisition spreading across Spain, threatening the life of Queen Isabella (also Rachel Weisz). The Queen has charged Tomas to seek the Garden of Eden--which she and her adviser believe to be in "New Spain" (Mexico). Tomas' mad, obsessive quest to seek the "Tree of Life" referenced in Genesis mirrors Tommy's pursuit to boldly--and arrogantly--"cure death". And somewhere, beyond space or time in the stars above, is Tom Creo (again Hugh Jackman), who tattoos his arms with his memories and eats of the tree for sustenance in his astral bubble, floating toward the cosmic terminal, Xibalba.
The three stories interweave and are all a part of one another, are all "Tom", and represent a kind of infinite soul, one who is struggling to cope with death, just as we all do, just as we wish that death was something which could be conquered. The varied presentations and facets of Tom give a broad interpretation of the afterlife and even of how religion has attempted to answer our understanding of death and the beyond. There is a sense that life is an eternal force, one comprised of cosmic rebirth and where our destination is a kind of reintegration with the universe. In this way, death is not only a part of life, it is the next step. Although characters in Izzi's story--like the "Inquisitor"--pervert this ethos, it remains a truism, and Tom's refusal to accept it is at the root of his great struggle. Ultimately, is Tommy's quest to cure death for Izzi, or is it really for himself? Is the pain of loss so abject that he would rather raise his fists to the very heavens in defiance than allow himself to feel powerless? Yes, but that should not mean that Tommy is undeserving of our pity, because like us, he is hurting, as we all do when suffer as a loved one dies. Tommy blames himself, punishes himself, he knows that if he could only do better, his wife would live and all would be well. His quest is a noble one, but also an impossible dream, an obsession which transcends time and space--and even life and death. Izzi leaves the last chapter in her book unfinished, intending for Tommy to complete her work, a cooperative effort which she knows will be instrumental in his ability to cope with her loss after she's gone. It is the final step which Tommy must take, the moment where he knows that he must "finish it", not just out of the compulsion to do so, but out of the love he has for Izzi, and the love he has deprived himself by not letting go.
Recommended for: Fans of a touching and also metaphysical drama about death and grief, with stunning visuals which feel like a trip across the universe, but also keep us grounded in the core story about how we all struggle to cope with imminent death.
The three stories interweave and are all a part of one another, are all "Tom", and represent a kind of infinite soul, one who is struggling to cope with death, just as we all do, just as we wish that death was something which could be conquered. The varied presentations and facets of Tom give a broad interpretation of the afterlife and even of how religion has attempted to answer our understanding of death and the beyond. There is a sense that life is an eternal force, one comprised of cosmic rebirth and where our destination is a kind of reintegration with the universe. In this way, death is not only a part of life, it is the next step. Although characters in Izzi's story--like the "Inquisitor"--pervert this ethos, it remains a truism, and Tom's refusal to accept it is at the root of his great struggle. Ultimately, is Tommy's quest to cure death for Izzi, or is it really for himself? Is the pain of loss so abject that he would rather raise his fists to the very heavens in defiance than allow himself to feel powerless? Yes, but that should not mean that Tommy is undeserving of our pity, because like us, he is hurting, as we all do when suffer as a loved one dies. Tommy blames himself, punishes himself, he knows that if he could only do better, his wife would live and all would be well. His quest is a noble one, but also an impossible dream, an obsession which transcends time and space--and even life and death. Izzi leaves the last chapter in her book unfinished, intending for Tommy to complete her work, a cooperative effort which she knows will be instrumental in his ability to cope with her loss after she's gone. It is the final step which Tommy must take, the moment where he knows that he must "finish it", not just out of the compulsion to do so, but out of the love he has for Izzi, and the love he has deprived himself by not letting go.
Recommended for: Fans of a touching and also metaphysical drama about death and grief, with stunning visuals which feel like a trip across the universe, but also keep us grounded in the core story about how we all struggle to cope with imminent death.