The Fountain

2007, 12, Directed by Darren Aronofsky

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz, Ellen Burstyn, Mark Margolis

To retell the plot of The Fountain here would not spoil anything, but be insanely difficult. What is important to know is that this is clearly Darren Aronofsky on exploratory mind-bending form. For a film that spans over 1,000 years and flits back and forth in a manner as flippant as it wishes, The Fountain is clearly as ambitious as it is confusing. But this is the point. Once you can embrace this, the film becomes something – although frustrating – quite beautiful in its own way. It is exciting to observe something that can offer a scene fresh from a medieval feature, accompanied by an image laden with religious context and then a scene lifted from a character drama. The central performances from Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz (Aronosfky’s then-wife) assist in moulding this into engrossing stuff. Make no mistake, The Fountain is not for everyone - but it would have failed in its purpose if it was. You might think it a love/hate film – I did neither.

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