TIFF Report: The Fountain Review

I was at the Venice screening, and I'll tell you why it drew boos - as a film it is a failure. It isn't anything to do with the concept, which is great, nor the performances, which are strong; it isn't really even Aronofsky's direction, which was unusually ungimmicky. The film's failure is that it does not capitalise on the emotional potential in its premise. The epiphany that Jackson's character experiences at the end of the film is shown to us, rather than experienced by us, and the result, for me, was a hollow feeling.

By way of caveat, I don't doubt that the 90 minute cut I saw at Venice was not Aronofsky's vision of the film, and I would bet that his is significantly improved.

Ok ok, Aronofsky is a great director, and his movie will be fine. Even if no one likes it or it gets boo's, etc.
The Visual effects are great from the trailers online so..
and the story seems to fits his minds eye.

EVERYONE WHO SAW IT AT VENICE.. HOORAY. When it goes domestic (hopefully this year) there will be a good response.

Good Luck Darren

"Requiem got slaughtered by the press. We had a 30-minute standing ovation in Cannes and the next day Variety said I should go into therapy instead of making movies. The New York Times trashed Pi. I am totally used to it."

this is what Aranofsky said about the boos in Venice. I haven't seen the film yet but somehow I believe it will be acclaimed like Pi and Requiem in 5 or 6 years time...

Prior to Venice, the vibe on the film from early reveiwers was totally positive. My guess is the Venice attendees just didn't "get it."

Every poor review I read (except for Frobisher's above) told me nothing about WHY the film was disappointing. One reviewer said it was "silly." Oh please.

I think Todd hit the nail on the head...this film will gain recognition in years to come.

I just saw The Fountain in Toronto last night and Darren delivered all that he had promised after a 6 year hiatus. Let us first be clear that his films are not for everybody. The majority of people that have seen Requiem have a difficult time watching the ending, but alas Ellen Burnstyn was nominated for an Academy Award for the role.
Darren is trying to push the envelove with this movie and does a great job with it. Let's not shun artists for trying to take a step forward in the movie making world. Especially in a boundless genre like Sci-Fi.

Was it boring? Visuals can be great, acting can be top notch, & the sound can be incredible DTS at it's best. When it comes right down to it, is it a good film and should i spend my money on seeing it???

I think it's a bloody fantastic film, Farrell and plan to see it at least a couple more times on the big screen.

I actually had an interesting conversation about it today and between that and a lot of the negative press I've read what the criticism essentially seems to boil down to is that people don't like that Darren actually seems to believe the points he's making on the metaphysical issues. The guy I spoke with today said he'd probably have loved it if Aronofsky's stance had been ironic or satiric but was put off by the sincerity. That seems to be what most of the negatives I've read about it boil down to ...

This film is a masterpiece! Easily the best film I've seen in a year. Darren Aronofsky's brilliance is sure to divide. I know some smart talented people that walked out of the screening... but my heart stood forever in my throat and I literally fell in love with this movie. This will be a movie that will be remembered. Fuck mediocrity.

-VanDammit!

I've just seen the trailers, and I know that trailers build a false hope most of the time...but for me...and everything that I've read, I'm already hooked. This is exactly the film I've been searching for years for....something to break through the mold of conventional filmmaking, and dare to be compleeeetely different, and free of the norm.

Thank you Darren for being so damned amazing.

From what i've seen and read, i'll have no reservations going to see this on the big screen. I've been looking forward to this and keeping a close eye on development for nearly a year and it will kill me to have to wait til February 16th for the Irish release. It's true what some people have said already, a director like Aronofsky is either loved or loathed but few can deny his brilliance. In my opinion, the best director since Stanley Kubrick. Even those that deny his brilliance cannot deny that he's not afriad to take a different approach and stand out. Give me Aronofsky over Spielberg any day!

I have known Darren since "Pi" (in which I played Max's neighbour). Even though I'm in Pakistan and can't see the film, I know one thing about Darren: both the authenticity of his commitment to furthering the medium and his integrity as a filmmaker are beyond doubt. He understands that great art takes time (I doubt he has been sitting around twiddling his thumbs for the last six years). His preperation, shooting and post are meticulous; dude works hard.

Whether the film is a hit--or is, in time, deemed a classic or not-- I have no doubt that it will push the envelope. It will advance the medium. Doing so is an agenda I believe he holds dear--as do all artists worth their salt. And that, given the current state of global cultural affairs, is a rare and valuable contribution.

Proud of you D.and of Eric--for sticking to your guns.
(Your only sellout of course has been dethroning your Devi as "cameo queen"! What happened--you always managed to find a part for a Paki before?)

Can't wait to see the film. Thanks to rampant piracy it'll be out here on DVD before it hits the screens in the U.S. (must do something about that when I take over this country ...).

--Samia

(Correction: I meant "reform" this country--not "take over". Sorry to get off the topic, but it is incumbent on us to exercise a little caution in Pakistan these days. And for the record, we think Mush is doing a fine job. For now.)

Great review, Todd. I'm going to fold it in to my Evening Class interview. I've been so satisfied with it that it's kept me from writing one of my own.

I get the chance to see THE FOUNTAIN again today here in San Francisco. This time, instead of being the last person in line, I'll be one of the first, coming in as press. So that means I can situate myself centrally in the auditorium to appreciate the visuals more fully.

I have some issues with the film, but not with the film itself. I'm not a great fan of death watch movies, having experienced all that firsthand and not too keen on watching it on screens. But the film serves an important distinction regarding the quest for immortality and the search for the fountain of youth. As if youth and immortality are synonymous, which of course they are not. This distinction rang out loud and clear for me when I was interviewing Aronofsky, especially when he talked about drinking from the Tree of Life. I'd never heard anyone make that conflation before.

I just saw the film. And I must say that at the end of the film almost all of the viewers were chuckling. But I realized that not one of them actually understood the meaning of the film and appreciated the art behind it. Most likely they were just looking for those multi-million dollar fake special effects that have sadly become the norm in film presently. Look, to all of you critics, maybe you should open our minds and actually pay attention to what you are criticizing, peer over your popcorn and think about what you have just experienced. This film touched on one of the few things that man-kind ponder every day in their fast pased feeble lives.

P.S. Aronofsky, you are the most sincere and brave film maker i have come across in a long time, keep up the fight and dont let the media or the studios bring you down, you give me hope for the future of cinema.

Film critics are trained (and then again not always) to recognize themes, and draw comparisons to Eisenstein, etc...

In other words, I couldn't care less about what a film critic thinks of this movie. It adheres itself more to the world of philosophy than it does to that of film.

Having said that, I have to seriously doubt when someone says that this film fails, as a film, or with it's point, or whatever.

There is a moment, I'll call it "The Crescendo" or "The Supernova" moment, where as I was watching this in the theater, I realized that I'll remember this moment - being at the theater and seeing such beauty on the screen - forever.

I just saw this film. I kept an open mind. I didn't expect to be blown away. I 'am' easily entertained.

But

This film really didn't do anything for me except make me want
the 90 minutes of my life that I wasted watching this film back.

Yes it was a great visual movie and all that jazz but the story
and the ending were terrible.

The only reason I kept watching it and didn't just grab my coat
and leave was hope. I had hope that somehow the story was going to
suprise me and get better or that there was going to be some sort of twist at the end that was going to wow me and pull this movie together.

It didn't happen my friends. I was just left very irritated when the
movie was over and the credits started scrolling.

Don't pay to go see this movie!

Wait for the DVD.

That is...

Wait for the DVD to show up on the clearance rack of some discount store and then buy it for a dollar.

The DVD will make a nice coaster for your drinks !

R.S

R.S. - okay seriously. though you may have disliked the film...... a coaster? really? ...i mean really??? they don't even sell gigli for a dollar....




I thought that this film was beautiful AND presented a fantastic relationship between jackman and weisz. perfect movie in my opinion.




Aronofsky has created a masterpiece and, had his original budget not been cut in half, perhaps more people would realize that. Read the graphic novel and you will see how aronofsky originally intended the story/film to end. it should be available in softcover from amazon.com or barnes and noble.

this films a masterpeice.
nothing has rocked me like this for a great while.
it takes balls and brains to pull this film off.
i can see why the critics have acted as they have..
the simple zombie like populus will hate this film.
those who think outside of the box will think its beautiful.
applause

the main review on this page is spot on, i couldn't agree more

I hope it is re-released in 10 years. I'm sure a lot more people will be ready to appreciate it then.

just wanted to make a comment about this film. It in my opinion is one of the most special films ever made.It bravely explores death as a journey to beauty in a natural way at the same time dosent get religious (which is great) I think when someone dosent like it (like the ridiculos"coaster comment person" )then they just cant have "got it" the relationship between life and death to me is so close to the truth that it moves me. The point to the whole story is that death is beautiful just as life is beautiful , they are so closely linked. This gave me the kind of visions i have always had in my heart but never been able to "realise" i salute the film-maker and the actors profoundly.
thankyou

This was a very boring film. The premise was nothing new, so the mythological/real world crossover just didn't work. Yes yes make every moment count, gain immortality through the ones you leave behind etc. Yeah I get it. But weird does not necessarily equal good. Visually beautiful yes, but a weak script. Jackman's performance in "The Prestige" was far superior. And to compare it to 'Blade Runner" is going to far. In 10 years this movie will still be boring with little emotional reach. The spaceman stuff was very cool.
And I was really looking forward to it.

Metaphysical science fiction is not a new genre. For example, 'Solaris' published 1961, is metaphysical science fiction.

I don't understand why some people would dis The Fountain for having a premise that isn't anything new. What can be considered "new" in the first place? Technically we've been bombarded with the same old stories over and over again, the only difference is how these stories are told. So yeah, the premise of The Fountain is nothing new, but Darren Aronofsky is one helluva great storyteller.

I'm amazed The Fountain was even given the green-light to be released international as a major motion picture. The Fountain is more of a disjointed avant garde film and can hardly even be considered an actual narrative-driven film-- it's really more of an artist's wild coked-out fantasy more than anything else. One look at the first rough cuts of this movie should have sent the producers into a desperate scramble to either cancel the entire production or compel Aronofsky to come up with a coherant narrative.
Damn I guess this post is like 6 months too late. Oh well. I was so dissapointed by this artzy diahhrea-drizzle of a film that I just had to tell the world: Don't see this movie! Anywho. I feel better.

This film isn't for everyone. It's very intellectual and you will either love it or hate it. I'm not able to tell what each person that reads this will feel when they watch the movie; but if you think there's any chance that you'll like it, it is certainly worth the risk. In my opinion, this is a absolute masterpiece and one of the greatest films I have ever seen. My rather unique taste in movies, music, and well, everything, is hardly ever satisfied; this is one of the few things that satisfies it.

Something that, surpsisingly, I didn't see anyone else missing, is the magnificent soundtrack of the film. Clint Mansell, who also did Requiem, did it, and I simply love it. It's oneo f the few films that I actually bought the soundtrack for.

Sorry, correction. "missing" should be "mention."