The Fountain

(2006)
Directed By:
Darren Aronofsky

Starring:
Hugh Jackman - Tom/Tommy/Dr. Tom Creo
Rachel Weiss - Queen Isabel/Izzi Creo
Ellen Burstyn - Dr. Lillian Guzetti

There is nothing as timeless as love. Nothing could be truer than in this science fiction movie where in the past, present and future three parallel stories are told at once.
In the present Hugh Jackman plays Tom, a cancer researcher/surgeon. He is experimenting on monkeys who have brain tumors to see if anything will help. Out of desperation he uses a bit of tree taken from the Guatemalan Jungles. Miraculously the primate not only recovers but he is better than normal.

At the same time is the story of a conquistadors search for the “tree of life.” Whoever drinks of its sap will live forever. Hugh Jackman takes on this quest from the queen of Spain, also played by Rachel Weisz. In the future we see Hugh Jackman as an astronaut journeying with the “tree of life” to a distant star where his love will be reborn. Whatever the time all three pursue a quest to save the women they love.

The cg effects, particularly of the future Hugh Jackman are quite amazing and simply beautiful. The story itself can be a bit confusing if you try to think too much into it or if you try to think of all three characters as the same like myself. There are reasons to believe that the present day Tom does live into the 26th century and with a leap or too it is conceivable that he is the conquistador, and hence his journey is cyclical. The imagery of circles throughout the film further supports this idea. Hugh Jackman plays his character a bit too theatrically at times for my tastes. You’re not a “X-Man” anymore dude.

2 1/2 stars