The Fountain

Compared to Mother!, I didn't like The Fountain that much, but it is still an interesting and unconventional film that intrigues, but doesn't really blow your balls off. A great Hugh Jackman and a beautiful Rachel Weisz, biblical references, great scenes with the Mayas, nice imagery and decent art, but I found it a bit drawn out even at 90 minutes. It's not my genre, so a neutral three stars radiates rather satisfaction. 65% (08/11/2017)

The Fountain is certainly an indescribable cinematic experience. It is about expressing oneself in relation to questions that have plagued humanity since the dawn of history, through a mix of an esoteric visual poetry that combines Kubrick and Tarkovsky. It has to be approached on the level of feelings rather than in a classic way. The structure of the narrative is strikingly similar to Romain Sardou's novel “The Spark of God", but who cares if it works so well here. But not perfectly. After the end, I was left with a hard-to-define feeling that I could have just seen something great and quite exceptional, if only the creators had managed to convey this experience (or perhaps “journey" in the case of The Fountain) inwardly to the fullest. Therefore, Aronofsky's magnum opus does not deserve the highest rating after the first viewing, but perhaps I will eventually amend my rating in the future. If only because I just can’t get The Fountain out of my head. ♫ OST score: 4/5 (09/03/2007)

Oh, man! I was really looking forward to this film, but it didn’t really grab me. I don’t know, perhaps I watched it in the wrong frame of mind, or I misunderstood it. Either way, I got quite bored and all those gorgeous images and shots felt a bit like a body without a soul. Aronofsky has a strange style, I liked Requiem for a Dream me because of its depiction of harsh reality, but The Fountain left me completely cold. Hopefully, you won’t be too mad at me, perhaps I’ll get the magic of this film in a second screening. (01/03/2012)

A visually stunning spectacle with a perfect music score. The Fountain is a beautiful film whose main idea is not hard to grasp, but if I want to fully understand the story itself, I will have to watch it at least once more. Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz (who here looks almost supernaturally beautiful) deliver excellent performances, as does Aronofsky in the director’s chair. I’m going to get Pi and Requiem for a Dream… (05/09/2008)

From the very first minute, Aronofsky bombards the viewer with an audiovisual whirlwind (a proven collaboration with cinematographer Matthew Libattique) that the senses are unable to take it all in at first. Searching for a cure for the disease called death is an incredibly gripping (the plot), at once cathartic (the form) and especially perfectly intimate (the partnership) spectacle that demands multiple viewings to be fully absorbed. A surreally powerful piece of cinema that manages to grab you by the emotional strings with its mysterious medievalism, the mystical relationship between man and the tree of life, and the dull reality of today. A must for all cynics who see contemporary cinema as too pale. (15/04/2007)