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 & 37 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

According to director Darren Aronofsky, the film is inspired by the philosophical sci-fi films 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), The Matrix (1999), Latin-American writer Eduardo Galeano's fantasy story "Memories of Fire", and the epic biography-fairytale Once Upon a Time in America (1984).

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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 movie ends with a white out, which represents the Big Bang or creation of the Universe. Following that, the white areas behind the credits condense, which correlates with the condensation of matter and ultimate large scale structure of the universe. These devolve to a black screen, the early "opaque" stage of the universe, when early particles were forming. From this, stars begin to form, one by one until the credits end with a universe full of stars and the story of our universe to the present, told behind the credits.

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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

Featured in MsMojo: Top 10 Unconventional Romance Movies (2019)

User Reviews

Spiritual and graceful experience filled with beauty and poetry!

Such a beautiful film that goes so, so deep. For me, it was a truly spiritual experience to watch this film again after 8 years. The images are beautiful, unique and the thousands of match cuts connecting the film's inner spiritual layer with the real life of the characters (in a non-linear manner) is just sublime. For me, this is poetry and a beautiful testament to love, pain, life - and the never ending cycle of life.

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