The Fountain (2006)

As a modern-day scientist, Tommy is struggling with mortality, desperately searching for the medical breakthrough that will save the life of his cancer-stricken wife, Izzi.

Director:

Darren Aronofsky

Writers:

Darren Aronofsky (screenplay), Darren Aronofsky (story)

Stars:

Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz, Sean Patrick Thomas

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 9 wins & 38 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hugh Jackman	...	Tomas / Tommy / Tom Creo
Rachel Weisz	...	Isabel 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 | mayan | eternity | love | tree of life | 

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Taglines:

Death is the road to awe.

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | 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

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film incorporates a series of visual motifs:

• each era uses different shape designs: the past has triangular designs, the present has oblong designs and the future has circular designs
• the main colors in the film are gold (wealth and beauty, materialistic but hollow), white (truth and mortality), silver (space and stars), and green and red (nature, respectively life and death)
• Tom in all eras moves from darkness into the light throughout the film, representing his movement from darkness into light. Izzy is already covered in light in all her scenes.

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Goofs

The seed Tommy is planting at the end is from a Liquidambar styraciflua, and should not be green during the heart of winter. Additionally, a L. styraciflua seed of this maturation is most likely immature and will not germinate, regardless of the season.

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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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Alternate Versions

The film was originally submitted to the BBFC on 30th June 2006, where it was passed with a 15 certificate. However, on 30th November 2006 the film was submitted again as a "re-edited" international version, with "changes made to reels 2, 3 and 5". This new version runs 16 seconds longer and was awarded a lower 12A certificate. The BBFC's website does not list the specific changes made.

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Connections

Referenced in StarTalk: Director Darren Aronofsky (2019)

User Reviews

Beautiful visuals, great acting and great direction

There's a lot going for this film. The CGI is exceptional as are the performances. There's beauty in every part from the actors' performances, direction and CGI/visuals.

So why not a higher score? The message of the film isn't ludicrous but it has been explored before many times. Is death a necessary part of life? Can we conquer it? Should we even be trying? It's not a bad set of questions to ask. But as the film develops you're repeatedly pounded on the head by a weak analogy with a tree of life. When you get to the last twenty minutes of the film the analogy becomes actively irritating.

It's definitely worth a watch. Just don't expect anything hugely thought provoking.

Details

Official Sites:

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

Country:

Canada USA

Language:

English Maya

Release Date:

22 November 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Last Man

Filming Locations:

Cité du Cinéma, Montréal, Québec, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,768,702, 26 November 2006

Gross USA:

$10,144,010

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$16,468,343

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., New Regency Productions, Protozoa Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1