Watched "The Fountain"

So, I knew it was the last night for "The Fountain" at my buddies Phil and Justin's theatre. So, with the night off - I knew I needed to check it out before I didn't have a chance.



First off, the SPOILER-FREE parts...
It's different.
It's not what I expected from Darren Aronofsky.
There was no "hip-hop editing" involved in this film.
It REALLY shows how he has matured as a filmmaker, and can tell an amazing story.
This IS his BEST film - to date.

What I know I liked: The UBER-non-linear editing. Not only were there three timelines being edited together - they were being edited together out of order. Giving you questions before answers - and giving you ideas before you found out the truth. Granted, I was able to figure out about 90% of the film - and the 10% I didn't figure out, I don't know if I was supposed to.


The film is really an AMAZING love story. The story of a man who spends 1,000 years trying to fullfil his love to a woman. His passion. His determination. His obsessiveness. Hugh Jackman is AWESOME. PERFECT. WONDERFUL. If there was EVER a question about his acting (which there WAS NOT after "The Prestige") this film proves he's an amazingly capable actor on so many levels.

Jason refuses to think about how Dougray Scott would have been as Wolverine - and now I refuse to think about how Brad Pitt would have been in this film. Because Hugh is BEYOND perfect. Rachel Weisz does a pretty good job, but her character is pretty limited, and I could potentially see other talented females playing this same part. Not to downplay how good she was, but it wasn't overly amazing, but her roles is nowhere near as big as Hugh's.

The story is plain and simple. Find the Foutain of Youth, hidden by God and protected by the Mayan Empire. Use this knowledge to bring Spain into power, over the church. Fast-forward 500 years to the "present" when our Main Man and his Lady are living in the present, however she has a brain tumor which is slowly killing her. Tom does extensive tests on Primates and is close to discovering a way to save her, although the cure helps with health - it does not reduce brain tumors in primates. Izzi is writing a book - which very much resembles their life 500 years ago, and before she can finish it, she asks Tom to write the final chapter.

Fast forward to another 500 Years in the future, when Tom is traveling through space - fulfilling a destiny and a promise he made to Izzi - based on a conversation they had regarding the spirituality of the Mayans and how they viewed death.

Simple, right? At times it's a little confsuing, but eventually gives you the clues you need to come up with your own answers to the questions that are posed.

The film is an AMAZING new look at Sci-Fi filmmaking. I VERY MUCH compare it to "Donnie Darko". And now, I'll move on to MY theories about the film...

SPOILERS below the picture!!!


So, here's my honest theory.
I don't believe there are actually three timelines going on.
I believe that these characters are in "The Present" and that's IT. PERIOD.
Izzi is obsessed with the Mayan Empire and their philosphies on life and death. Mostly on death now, as she knows her "end" is coming soon. She becomes obsessed with the idea of death being the birth of life. The concept the Mayans used to explain the birth of the world, how one man gave up his life and the world grew from him.

Izzi is a VERY good author, and has written the majority of her book. However, she does not know how to finish it. She lies this burden on Tom. She writes a very good and very vivid book - and when Tom reads it, he places himself and Izzi into the story.

Post Izzi's death - Tom attempts to write the Final Chapter, which is when he hallucinates the visions of the future. His obsession with his wife leads to his visions of the future and fulfilling the promise to her - that he would save her. Knowing that she is dead, the only way to fulfill the promise to save her, is to bond her body with a tree, and carry that tree into a nebula - allowing her to be "reborn".

This IS NOT REAL. It takes place in Tom's head. This is why the Future and the Past are connected in the final sequence of the film - because it's Izzi's story in Tom's head merged with his hallucinations for the future - at which point his brain causes them to collide. This is why "Present Day Tom" is not involved in the sequence - because it happening inside of his head, as he attempts to fulfill his promise of saving Izzi.

While the names "Isabel" and "Izzi" are VERY similar, and are meant to imply that they are the same person - I DO NOT believe that they are.

Also, in support of my theory: Tom and Izzi NEVER discuss their past together. They make NO MENTION of spending 500 years together. Present Day Tom doesn't EVER do ANYTHING that even hints at the fact that he's well over 500 Years Old. I DO NOT believe the past ever "happened". I can only believe that Tom visualizes it all in his head, from the story Izzi has written.

The only time there is any mention of time passing is when Future Tom is looking at the tattoos on his arms and claims "It was you that kept me company through all these years..." And since we know he didn't "start" tattooing himself until after Izzi's death - then again, he can only be reffering to the Present to the Future - disregarding the Past Tom.

I have to stand by my theory.
"The Present" is the ONLY reality.
"The Past" is in Tom's head, based on Izzi's book.
"The Future" is a hallucination inside Tom's head, as he attempts to deal with the lose of the love of his life, and his brain's attempt at fulfilling his promise to "save" Izzi. Because, in the end - his final attempt to save her life, came from an idea SHE gave him, in the "present".

The film is about LOVE and OBSESSION.
Izzi is obsessed with the Mayan Empire and their philosophies on death, and rebirth.
Tom is obsessed with saving Izzi's life.
And they have a love that transcends time and space. Figuratively and Metaphorically.

That's my theory.