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Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz, Ellen Burstyn, Mark Margolis, Stephen McHattie ... see more see more... , Fernando Hernandez , Cliff Curtis , Sean Patrick Thomas , Donna Murphy , Ethan Suplee , Richard McMillan , Lorne Brass , Abraham Aronofsky , Renee Asofsky , Anish Majumdar , Janique Kearns , Boyd Banks , Alexandre Bisping , Kevin Kelsall , Patricia Dal , Marcello Bezina , Hugo Salvador Gutierrez Aguilar , Eric Carmelo Valenzuela Batz , Elfego Vinicio Pena Castellanos , Jose Maria Tol Chan , Benjamin Panjoj Cortez , Juan Salvador Lares , Jose Alfredo Conoz Macario , Guatemaya Chicua , Tomas Tol Nix , Luis Alfredo Yac Noj , Mateo Martin Perez , Edson Vasquez Pixabaj , Marvin Leonardo Raxtun , Tomas Morales Sacquic , Santos Ajic Sapon , Xaijil Sicajan , Manuel Antonio Salvador Tol , Tomas Salvador Tol , Tomas Augustin Canil Ventura , Carlos Enrique Ramos Xalcut , Octavio Guadelupe Zabala , Xitamul , Yolanda , Bianca Cody Murphy , Diget , Granny , Sean Gullette ,

Requiem for a Dream director Darren Aronofsky switches gears from drug-induced urban malaise to abstract science fiction with this time-tripping symbolic tale of a man's thousand-year quest to save th... read more read more...e woman he loves. Moving between representational stories and images, this meditation on life and death focuses on the concept of the mythical Tree of Life that is said to bestow immortality to all who drink of its sap. In one of the film's allegorical timelines, a 16th century Spanish conquistador played by Hugh Jackman sets out to find the tree in order to save his queen (Rachel Weisz) from the Inquisition. Another conceptual story finds Jackman centuries later, struggling with mortality as a modern-day scientist desperately searching for the medical breakthrough that will save the life of his cancer-stricken wife, Izzi. The third and most abstract concept finds Jackman as a different incarnation of the same character-idea, this time questing for eternal life within the confines of a floating sphere transporting the aged Tree of Life through the depths of space. Even more avant-garde than his breakthrough film Pi, The Fountain finds Aronofsky almost completely abandoning conventional story structure in favor of something more cinematically abstract. Though the film was originally slapped with an R by the MPAA, Aronofsky and co. re-edited it to conform to a PG-13 rating. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Flixster Users

73% liked it

234,155 ratings

Critics

51% liked it

193 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 35 min.

Directed by: Darren Aronofsky

Release Date: November 22, 2006

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DVD Release Date: May 18, 2007

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Stats: 26,440 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (26,440)

  • brooklynspo
    July 3, 2007
    brooklynspo
    "My God, it's full of shit!"

    But seriously folks - after just one viewing - i'm just .. wow - huh?! Watching the film, I was wildly applauding Aronofsky's superballsy audacious vision while simultaneously cringing at his simplistic sentimentality.

    2001 + What the Bleep Do W... read moree Know + dimestore romance + any episode of E.R. = wtf?

    For what it's worth - i thought Hugh Jackman was great - perhaps the only tangible revelation of the film.
  • fb1463751009
    March 9, 2012
    fb1463751009
    "wat"

    That was my response after the movie ended. But I couldn't help but to be mesmerized by the incredible cinematography. But wow, the plot is extremely confusing. This movie is definitely alike with Donnie Darko, but this movie is more engaging with its follow-up to the end... read moreing.
  • Nathang110
    November 25, 2011
    Nathang110
    The Fountain is a stunning, beautiful film that looks at death in a new angle: as the beginning of life. Not for everyone, but is a well done film, with amazing direction from Aronofsky. Hugh Jackman shows his talent for more than just action scenes, while Rache Weisz gives her a... read morell, as always. Be prepared for some confusion, but also be prepared to be in awe.
  • bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb1
    August 15, 2011
    bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb1
    I really liked this movie. I thought the part of the story that took place in the present was excellent. Everything else ranged from good to okay. The movie overall was great but I didn't love the movie. I thought the part of the story that took place in the past was good but not... read more great. There were also some silly and unintentionally funny parts but there kept to a minimum. A great movie but by no means perfect in my opinion.

    Grade: B+
  • fb573414556
    July 29, 2011
    fb573414556
    A beautiful, well acted and incomprehensible film 'The Fountain' not only leaves you bewildered it also leaves you thinking. Understanding the film isn't the point though, the point is to come up with your own explanation and take what you can from that. Before starting I expecte... read mored a completely different film but overall I was pleased with what I got, even if I did have to Google it after.
  • fb1672039553
    June 25, 2011
    fb1672039553
    Spanning 1000 years and filled with linking metaphors between the three storylines, this movie is surreal enough that any explanation of the literal story can be refuted. ultimately though it's asking if it is a tragedy, or a story of timeless redemption. Is heaven on earth? This... read more movie raises a lot of fun questions about who we are, who/what we are from, and of who/what we will become a part.
  • emilebond007
    June 22, 2011
    emilebond007
    One can look for the meaning of this piece of art for as long as one wants, it is as simple as that: Aronofsky uses the cinematic medium to put on screen a fable that will someday be appreciated for what it is. A mind-blowing and gorgeous fable, also featuring an epic score from ... read moreClint Mansell and a memorable performance from Hugh Jackman.
  • StarCrossedVoyager
    June 10, 2011
    StarCrossedVoyager
    Absolutely amazing. At first I was rather confused and couldn't understand what the point was but by the end most things were clear. I like narratives like this with twists and turns. I think it's about life and death and how if people fear death, then it's something to be feared... read more. But if you embrace death as a natural part of your life then you can live beyond death and have something different to look forward to. It's very spiritual. I liked the juxtoposition between the past, the (relative) present, and the future showing how religion and spiritualism has been around for a long time and is an important part of many peoples lives. Fantastic performances, especially from Jackman. Brilliant.
  • blkbomb
    June 10, 2011
    blkbomb
    I really like Darren Aronofsky and that was why I was able to overlook a lot of negative reviews and watch The Fountain. Richard Roeper went as far at to say, "This is one of the worst movies of the year." I wouldn't go that far, but it isn't great. I didn't care for any of the p... read moreerformances, especially Rachael Weisz. Aronofsky is a great director though, and the story is for the most part cool. That isn't to say it's not a little ridiculous because it is. The story jumps from one place in time to another(supposedly). You have troubles grasping the plot just remember that Izzi is writing a book called The Fountain. "It's all done except the last chapter. I want you to help me. Finish it..."
  • lewiskendell
    March 9, 2011
    lewiskendell
    "Death is a disease. It's like any other. And there's a cure. A cure. And I will find it."

    I think Darren Aronofsky is great. He brings a sense of art into each movie he makes, no matter how human, small, and individual his stories may be. The Fountain is different from his othe... read morer projects, however, because it's almost wholly an art film. It largely leaves conventional storytelling behind and explores love, loss, and fear of mortality through reoccurring images, symbolism, alternating time-lines/realities, and some really fantastic visuals.

    I have to say that I liked it. It's ambitious and it takes a while to get a handle on, but it captured my interest from the very beginning. There were moments when The Fountain brought to mind a Guillermo del Toro movie, times when it felt like pure Aronofsky, and then scenes that reminded me of nothing I've seen previously.

    Hugh Jackman gives a commendable, fragmented performance as the three main characters in their three variations of the story. But it's Rachel Weisz who plays the only character in the film that we really get to know a part of, and she's the anchor of the overall story. I gained a healthy respect for both actors, while watching this.

    On the whole, I found The Fountain to be a worthy experience. There's something lacking, though. I can't say what it is, exactly. The movie felt a little too loosely connected, as if the theme binding it together wasn't tied quite as tightly as it should have been.

    I predict three different possible reactions to The Fountian. Person A will watch about 15 minutes of it, quickly realize it's not for them, and turn it off. Person B will appreciate what Aronofsky tried to do, but feel that The Fountain is ultimately a flawed effort. Person C will enjoy the movie and want to see it again several times, despite niggling concerns that it's not quite all it had the potential to be.

    I'm Person C. I loved the cinematography and had a very positive reaction to all the metaphysics and existential themes (which isn't always the case, despite the fact that I was a philosophy major in college). It's not the typical Aronofsky film and it's not his best (The Wrestler) or his most complete (Black Swan), but it's definitely his most ambitious.

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Critic Reviews

Roger Ebert
September 14, 2007
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

I will concede the film is not a great success. Too many screens of blinding lights. Too many transitions for their own sake. Abrupt changes of tone. Full Review

Dana Stevens
November 30, 2006
Dana Stevens, Slate

The Fountain is the story of a gifted artist who dared to reach for the stars and paid for his ambition with a really stupid movie. Full Review

Andrew Sarris
November 29, 2006
Andrew Sarris, New York Observer

Mr. Aronofsky's outlook on life remains too constantly pessimistic for my taste, and too completely joyless as well. Full Review

Richard Roeper
November 27, 2006
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

This is one of the worst movies of the year. Full Review

Anthony Lane
November 27, 2006
Anthony Lane, New Yorker

The movie may have significant truths to impart, although I have my doubts, but it feels too inexperienced, too unworldly, to have earned the right to them.

Joe Morgenstern
November 23, 2006
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

A tagline has been affixed to the campaign -- 'What if you could live forever?' -- and it has a certain resonance, especially after seeing the film, which makes 96 minutes seem like eternity. Full Review

Richard Corliss
November 23, 2006
Richard Corliss, TIME Magazine

Anybody could see that Aronofsky was one of the few American filmmakers who saw the cinema past as a jumping-off point, not a toy store to plunder. His films were full of promise; and more, they deliv... Full Review

Lisa Schwarzbaum
November 23, 2006
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly

I'm perfectly content to float with [Aronofsky] even if he doesn't solve the riddles of the universe. Full Review

Peter Rainer
November 23, 2006
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor

It's borderline unwatchable. Full Review

Ann Hornaday
November 22, 2006
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post

It's a sprawling experiment in philosophical time travel and metaphysical noodling. And it's an earnest, magnificent wreck. Full Review

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    • Lab Support Primate: Through telepathy: why do you humans operate on my brain? It causes much stress for me.
    • Tomas/Tommy/Tom Creo: Because we humans have lost our sense of purpose, so much that we must try and find it in other intities, no matter how primitive they may be.
    • Isabel/Izzi Creo: I will not die, not here, not now, never...
    • Tomas/Tommy/Tom Creo: Death is a disease, it's like any other. And there's a cure. A cure - and I will find it.
    • Tomas/Tommy/Tom Creo: There's been progress at work...
    • Isabel/Izzi Creo: [laughs] My conquistador! Always conquering...
    • Lord of Xibalba: Death is the road to awe.
    • Grand Inquisitor Silecio: Our bodies are prisons for our souls. Our skin and blood, the iron bars of confinement. But fear not. All flesh decays. Death turns all to ash. And thus, death frees every soul.
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  • What is the name of the director of the movies 'Requiem for a Dream', 'Pi' and 'The Fountain'.  Answer »
  • In the movie Sleepover, what was the popular lunchspot?  Answer »
  • who plays the leading male role in the fountain  Answer »
  • What movie does this quote come from?: "Death is the road to awe"  Answer »
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