The Fountain (2006) -vs- 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
The Smackdown. If a filmmaker sat down in a producer's office and rambled on about prehistoric ape battles, Mayan/Judeo-Christian theology, homicidal computers, oncology miracles, cosmic fetuses, and Heaven-bound bubble spaceships, he'd probably be shown the door with directions to one of Hollywood's many rehab centers.
Yet "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "The Fountain" seem to embrace new narrative techniques that allow them to mix-match elements heretofore unseen in films. Both are pioneers in science-fiction, turning the genre on its head and seeing what comes out. Both also faced heavy criticism upon their release, with "2001" obviously having an edge of 39 years to be appreciated. On top of critics, the characters of both "2001" and "The Fountain" encounter faceless, automated, merciless antagonists: a robot and death. And, of course, there's the added bonus this time of year in that current Oscar host Hugh Jackman plays the spaced-out one in "The Fountain."
The Challenger. Darren Aronofsky's "The Fountain" follows one man through three times. In the past, Thomas Creo, a conquistador, is sent by the Queen of Spain to find the fabled Tree of Life in an attempt to save the Queen from death at the hands of the zealot The Inquisitor. In the present, Tommy Creo struggles to use a strange substance derived from a South American tree to cure his dying wife's cancer. In the future, a bald Tommy travels in a bubble through space in order to take a gigantic tree holding the fading soul of his dead wife to Xibalba, the Mayan underworld which exists as a dying star surrounded by a nebula. As the film cuts between each period, it's important to realize the present is the heart of this film. As Tommy faces his wife's deteriorating condition, he begins hiding his own fear of death in his fear of losing her. The other time periods mirror Tommy's dilemma of becoming so fearful of death that he neglects his dying wife emotionally as he tries to conquer mortality. Aronofsky delivers some extraordinary visuals and directing here; there's not a single scene in the movie that's aesthetically uninteresting. This, while juggling multiple storylines and metaphors which organically reveal the film's main point, which is not at all as epic and mystical as it first may seem. The film is really about the arrogance of denying death and eventually accepting one's own death while mourning the death of loved ones. With a visually explosive climax scored to near perfection by Clint Mansell, "The Fountain" is a soft love story teasing big philosophical concepts with a lot of understated emotion.
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