NationStates Jolt Archive


"Together we will live forever."

Rhaomi
01-12-2006, 05:30
Sorry for the re-post, but I think that this topic is worthy of another go.

Anyway, I saw The Fountain a few days ago, and I was absolutely floored. I have to admit that the ending left me a little bamboozled at first, but even given that apparent incoherency it was still one of the greatest and most beautiful movies I'd ever seen. It's visually striking, emotionally moving, and has a profound message. And it is one of those few movies that respects the intelligence of its audience -- it doesn't just lay everything out for you to passively accept -- you have to think about it. Let it digest in your mind. Simmer, if you will.

Basically, it's about a guy named Tom who is trying to save his love. What's fascinating is that he does so across three different eras in three different ways -- as a Spanish conquistador searching for the Tree of Life, as a modern neurosurgeon working on a cure for cancer, and as a futuristic astronaut struggling to reach a dying star. These three quests constantly overlap and flow in and out of eachother -- and it still all makes sense.

Story-wise, it's a work of narrative genius -- Aronofsky created these three very different worlds that all tell the same overarching story in a moving and efficient way. The film is rich with metaphors and symbols that all tie together and interlace flawlessly. In the end, one's left with a very powerful tale of love and death and life and rebirth. I won't spoil the ending here, but I will say that the main character realized something deep and fundamental about life that really resonated with me.

I know this sounds like something straight out of a marketing agency, but this is what I really think about it. It is that good.

And it's even better now, since I've finally pieced together what actually happened -- not the whole thing, mind you -- but more than enough to appreciate its beauty. So, if anyone else has seen the movie and wants to discuss some of its underlying meaning, by all means, do so here.

And if you haven't seen the movie, you need to go -- it is fantastic. It has garnered the coveted Rhaomi SEAL of Approval.

http://hammeroftruth.com/images/articles/595-iraq_pow_round_2.jpg

Yes, that is a Navy SEAL, and he is dispensing his approval.

...

Anyway, see this movie.