The Fountain (revisited)

The DVD of The Fountain arrived on the shelves yesterday, and once I arrived home from work, I made a mad dash to BestBuy to pick up a copy. I've been eager to add The Fountain to my DVD collection since I first saw it in the theaters way back in December; it was even one of my first reviews!

One thing that struck me on this second viewing (sadly, this never made a run at the Drafthouse) is that it put a unique spin on the notion of how a movie holds up on further viewings . . . because while the first viewing in December was quite awe-inspiring (no pun intended, if you've seen the movie), the second viewing left me breathless! And at several moments, literally on the verge of tears. I attribute that to the tragedy of the story, to the sad inevitability of fate, to our own powerlessness to avoid death and the loss of those we love. I think what makes it so tragic is that, on second viewing, you know, a) that Tommy is missing out on valuable opportunities to spend with his dying wife, b) that his search will ultimately end in failure, and c) that Izzy's death, in a terribly cruel irony of life, comes literally moments after a breakthrough comes in Tommy's search for a cure.

Yet The Fountain also examines how the dying person deals with his/her fate. Izzy, unlike her husband, found comfort and closure knowing that her death would yield rebirth, at least in the natural sense. When she relates the Mayan mythology story about Xibalba, the dying star where Mayan dead went for rebirth, and how the Tree of Life grew out of the "First Father", she could accept her death with the knowledge that life would still continue. More so, when Tommy plants a seed on her grave for a tree to grow, you could argue that Izzy actually lives on—only in another form of life.

When asked to explain The Fountain, I often refer to it as 2001 with a love story. But it appeals to me for its philosophical aspects—its perspective on life, death, and love. And the fact that it's more powerful on subsequent viewings only adds to its drawing power. I still can't believe this was overlooked by the Academy this past Oscar season. It was definitely worthy of an Original Screenplay, an Original Score, and a Visual Effects nomination—and dare I say, an Actor nomination for Hugh Jackman. His rendition of Tommy, a man so consumed by his drive to cure Izzy's brain tumor, was genuinely heartbreaking. He's so driven by his work that he can't stop and smell the flowers, nor can he accept that death is an inevitable part of life—let alone that it will happen to someone so close to him.

I give The Fountain the same rating now that I gave it back in December: 9 out of 10. And I give kudos to director Darren Aronofsky for creating something so epic, so beautiful, so tragic, and so eternal.

On a personal note, last night's viewing of The Fountain came at a very unique time: half hour into the movie, I received a text message from a friend who's a childhood cancer survivor, saying that it's been 10 years to the day since she was first diagnosed with her cancer (though I don't think I got a count of how long she's been in remission).