The Fountain (2006)

Spanning over one thousand years, and three parallel stories, The Fountain is a story of love, death, spirituality, and the fragility of our existence in this world.

Director:

Darren Aronofsky

Writers:

Darren Aronofsky (screenplay), Darren Aronofsky (story),

Stars:

Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz, Ellen Burstyn

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 6 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hugh Jackman	...	Tomas / Tommy / Tom Creo
Rachel Weisz	...	Isabel / Izzi Creo
Ellen Burstyn	...	Dr. Lillian Guzetti
Mark Margolis	...	Father Avila
Stephen McHattie	...	Grand Inquisitor Silecio
Fernando Hernandez	...	Lord of Xibalba
Cliff Curtis	...	Captain Ariel
Sean Patrick Thomas	...	Antonio
Donna Murphy	...	Betty
Ethan Suplee	...	Manny
Richard McMillan	...	Henry
Lorne Brass	...	Dr. Alan Lipper
Abraham Aronofsky	...	Lab Technician
Renee Asofsky	...	Lab Technician
Anish Majumdar	...	Dr. Spencer

Storyline

Three stories - one each from the past, present, and future - about men in pursuit of eternity with their love. A conquistador in Mayan country searches for the tree of life to free his captive queen; a medical researcher, working with various trees, looks for a cure that will save his dying wife; a space traveler, traveling with an aged tree encapsulated within a bubble, moves toward a dying star that's wrapped in a nebula; he seeks eternity with his love. The stories intersect and parallel; the quests fail and succeed.

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Plot Keywords:

tree | dying | love | mayan | eternity | 

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Taglines:

Death is the road to awe.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some intense sequences of violent action, some sensuality and language

Details

Official Sites:

TFM Distribution [France] Warner Bros. [United States]

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English Maya

Release Date:

22 November 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

La fuente de la vida

Filming Locations:

Cité du Cinéma, Montréal, Québec, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$98,297 (Brazil) (24 November 2006)

Gross:

$10,139,254 (USA) (2 February 2007)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Regency Enterprises, Protozoa Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The score, composed by Clint Mansell, is played by the Kronos Quartet and the Scottish rock band Mogwai.

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Goofs

There was no 'Kingdom of Spain' in the 16th century. Isabella of Castile created a dynastic union by Ferdinand of Aragon. It did not become a coherent single kingdom till much later.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Tomas Verde: Let us finish it.

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Crazy Credits

The entire credits run against a star field background, then at the very, very end there is one final sigh as they fade to black.

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Connections

References The Well (2000)

User Reviews

The Fountain: Heart-Breakingly Beautiful

I do not know how to sum this movie up in this review, and to try to would be an injustice to Darren Aronofsky's genius. So I will just state the facts. I saw this film at the Chicago International Film Festival. I was blown away. This movie is so original and so breath taking. There is only one word that I can use to describe it: BEAUTIFUL. Darren Aronofsky is a genius and the greatest film-maker of our time. He is a visionary, and one of the greatest script writers. Hugh Jackman's performance ranks among the greatest male screen performances in cinema history. Rachel Weisv is amazing, as is Ellen Burnstyn, and Sean Patrick Thomas. Clint Mansell teams up with The Kronos Quartet and the Scottish rock band Mogwai to bring us some of the most beautiful and epic music I have ever heard. Matthew Libatique's cinematography is breath taking. It is so simple, yet so effective and so amazing. Jay Robinowitz deserves special mention here because the movie is so well put together it flows, and as an editor myself, I can understand how hard that must have been. The three time lines weave in and out of each other flawlessly. This movie is so good I need to see it again in order to catch all of it, but this taste will be enough to sustain me for another month, when I will surely see it four or five times. This movie is about themes bigger than you can possibly imagine, and it will take some thinking, and it is genius. In my opinion, the best movie I have ever seen.