Stars: Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz, Ellen Burstyn, Ethan Suplee, Cliff Curtis, Sean Gullette, Mark Margolis, Donna Murphy, Sean Patrick Thomas, Stephen McHattie

Director: Darren Aronofsky

Summary: THE FOUNTAIN is split into three different time periods, beginning in the 16th century, when a conquistador named Tomas strives to find the Tree of Life. The second part of the story finds a character travelling through outer space and dreaming of a woman named Izzi. The third part is set in the present day and is about a doctor named Tommy, who is married to the terminally ill Izzi.

Darren Aronofsky's THE FOUNTAIN is sure to enchant, beguile, and inspire intense debate among his fans. During the gap since 2000's REQUIEM FOR A DREAM, Aronofsky had struggled to bring THE FOUNTAIN to the screen, principally because leading man Brad Pitt dropped out of the project. The complex tale is split into three different time periods, beginning in the 16th century, when a conquistador named Tomas (Hugh Jackman) strives to find the Tree of Life. The second part of the story finds Jackman playing a Buddha-like character who zips through outer space and dreams of a woman named Izzi (Rachel Weisz). And the third part, which consumes most of the film's screen time, is set in the present day and sees Jackman playing a doctor named Tommy, who is married to the terminally ill Izzi. In this third section Tommy strives to find a cure for Izzi's brain tumour, and makes some progress after experimenting on a monkey with a substance discovered in a tree in South America. Meanwhile, Izzi has been writing a book that she calls THE FOUNTAIN, but has left the final chapter for Tommy to write. As Aronofsky pushes and pulls his sepia-tinted film between the three time periods, he weaves a deeply thoughtful, special effects-laden story that touches on themes of mortality and self, and requires a great deal of work from the director's audience. Movies such as Kubrick's 2001 and Tarkovsky's SOLARIS come to mind as Aronofsky gets deep into philosophical waters, and the various story strands of THE FOUNTAIN are as inconclusive and open to interpretation as the films that have clearly influenced it. The film makes for uneasy and sometimes confusing viewing, but will find its audience among intrepid souls who are fully prepared to let go and immerse themselves in Aronofsky's peculiar, daring, and thoughtful cinematic universe.

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Science fiction and romance collide in The Fountain, the ambitious third feature from director Darren Aronofsky (Pi, Requiem for a Dream), who laboured for four years to complete this epic-sized love story that stretches across centuries and galaxies. Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz (Aronofsky's real-life companion) play lovers in each of the film's three settings--16th century Europe and America (Jackman is a Spanish explorer searching for Incan magic), the present day (Jackman is a doctor attempting to cure his dying wife), and the 26th century (Jackman is a space traveller seeking a gateway to the afterlife)-–who struggle mightily to stay united, only to lose each other time and again. Aronofsky may not have chosen the easiest presentation for audiences to absorb his theories on the lasting qualities of life and the transformative powers of death-–the final sequence, in particular, with a bald Jackman floating through space in a bubble, harks back uncomfortably to "head movies" of the late '60s-–but his leads have considerable chemistry (and look terrific to boot), which goes a long way towards securing viewers' hopes for a happy ending. Critical reception for The Fountain has been nothing short of bloodthirsty, with Cannes audiences booing, but there are elements to enjoy here, even if the premise throws one for a loop. Ellen Burstyn (who earned an Oscar nomination for Requiem for a Dream) delivers a typically solid performance as Jackman's boss in the present day sequence, and special effects (most done without the benefit of CGI) are also impressive given the film's low budget (spurred by a mid-production shutdown after original stars Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett ankled the picture). And science-fiction fans whose tastes run towards the metaphysical (Asimov, Le Guin) will appreciate the attempt to present the genre in a serious light. -- Paul Gaita

Aspect Ratio:	1.85 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region B
Special Features:	Behind the Story featurettes - 'Vfx Step By Step', 'Life On Ship' and 'Inside The Director's Mind - Scene To Storyboard Comparison', Inside The Fountain - Death and Rebirth featurettes - 'Australia', 'The 21st Century', 'Spain-16th Century', 'New Spain', '
Subtitles:	Dutch, Norwegian, Finnish, French, Danish, Swedish
Year:	2006
Release Date:	May 28, 2007
Runtime:	96 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	3002607000
Keywords:	English, Fountain, Romantic, Drama
Genre:	Drama