Thoughts on The Fountain (the movie)

I just finished watching The Fountain, directed by Darren Aronofsky, and portrayed by Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz.

*warning: spoilers ahead*

At first, I couldn't understand what the hell was happening, and even read the back of the DVD cover thrice (or was it five times?), but it was only when the story focused on the present that the story started to gel for me.

First, I love love love this film. It's very hard to understand and certainly not your typical romantic comedy entertainment. But it's very thought-provoking and deals with the issues of life and death.

Second, I like the incredible cinematography and superb acting. I believe the actors' very beautiful acting, the real emotion they displayed made the concepts of life, love and death very tangible. I could really feel Tom Creo's love for his wife, the desperation that underlined his every action as he raced against time to search a cure for his wife.

Third, no summary would do it justice, not even my thoughts on the film as I try to express it (however inadequately) below. To really appreciate it, you must go and watch this, experience it for yourself! It's worth the time and money spent. However, it's not your usual film, and if you are looking for light entertainment at the end of a hard day, this is not it.

Fourth, did I mention the film was thought-provoking? All throughout the ages, men have been searching for the tree of life, the fountain of youth, anything to stop aging, anything to live forever. However, while performing this quest, they may have overlooked something important in their lives, something that, when lost, can never be retrieved.

Like, Tom Creo, who elected to spend his time in the lab doing more experiments to find "the tree" to heal his wife, instead of spending more time with his terminally-ill wife in her last days.

Also, what we think of as "the tree of life" (granting immortality) may be different from what we think it would be. Like the conquistador Thomas, who found the hidden tree of life deep in the Mayan jungle, which sap healed his wounds, but in the end, plants grew out of him. He did get immortal life, but as a plant. (What delicious irony!)

And then, the concept/truth that for each of us, death will come. Until then, it's a matter of how you live your life to the full, treasure and cherish the people around you, the time you have with them, build relationships that warm the heart and transcend time.