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If you are looking for a typical, easy to follow, happy ending Hollywood film, then The Fountain may not be the movie for you. But, if you are hoping for a visually stunning, creative, unique film that engages its audience with concepts and ideas rather than a highly structured linear plot line, you're in for a real treat.

What if you could live forever? is the tag line for Darren Aronofsky's third major motion picture. It is an intriguing question, but only hints at what the movie might actually be about. Unlike most films, The Fountain does not have a concrete storyline, but rather a vague story that holds many different ideas together. The best way to watch this film is to sit back and simply experience it rather than trying to follow the story and predict what might happen next. The vague story that does exist in The Fountain is a love story about a man who is faced with the imminent death of his wife. She is dying of cancer, and he is a doctor trying to save her. You soon realize that he is not just trying to cure her disease, but rather he is trying to find a way for them to be together forever. The Fountain brings together themes of undying love, coping with loss and grief, acceptance of death, and ideas about what the afterlife might hold.

The storyline in The Fountain is intertwined between three different time periods. Hugh Jackman's character jumps between the three times and what at first appear to be three stories, but they all intermingle in one. One time period is the present time when Hugh Jackman's character is faced with finding a cure for his wife's illness, and watching her slowly die. The second time period is in the past during the Spanish Inquisition. Hugh's character is on a quest to find the tree of life so that he can live forever. The third time period is in the future, in outer space. Jackman's character struggles to keep his tree (supposedly the tree of life) alive until he reaches his destination. The themes of love, and death are carried through each time period and essentially hold the film together.

The Fountain is the kind of movie that warrants two or three viewings in order to fully appreciate every aspect of the experience. Watch it once for it's stunning visual beauty. Watch it twice to understand the plot. And watch it three (or more) times to contemplate the depth of all of its themes. It is Darren Aronofsky's best work to date, and Hugh Jackman plays his part superbly. I would recommend this film to anyone who is tired of the same old Hollywood fare, and is looking for something that is different and truly spectacular.

Learn more about this author, Tina Callison.
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