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  #1  
Old 11-24-2006, 08:49 AM
adam
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The Fountain SPOILER thread
I think this movie suffered due to my uncertainty about the "reality" of what I was seeing. That is, I expected, nearly the whole movie through, that we would find out that the Spanish story was true, that they had got eternal life, but she had a brain tumour, and thus, while living forever, she would be living in ill health, perpetually, etc etc. I don't know if this is a "flaw" of the movie, that it allowed that confusion to continue, or that the trailer of the movie was misleading and created that expectation, or what, but I expect I'll enjoy it more on my next viewing when my mind isn't preoccupied with revelations about the actual nature of things.

Very pretty.

The predominant accusation seems to me to be that it's devoid of meaning. I wouldn't say that's quite fair. It doesn't say anything novel, granted, but I think what it does do is present a portrayal of a man struggling over acceptance of his wife's death. That's hardly meaningless.

Upon further reflection, I think that accusation of meaninglessness is rooted exactly in my concerns in the first paragraph. You wait the whole movie for the trip through space to be tied to reality in a mystical/sci-fi way, and, ultimately, when you realize that it's purely metaphorical, you feel somewhat cheated. That is, that whole third of the movie is meaningless when you're expecting it to resolve in a sense where it's a direct part of the narrative. It isn't meaningless emotionally, and I really like that aspect of the movie, but when you think it's going to be one thing, it framed my whole perception of the movie in false terms.

I'm having to re-frame. Another viewing will help. I probably won't see it again in the theatre though.

I think I very much like it, but walking out of the theatre, that was less the case.
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  #2  
Old 11-24-2006, 10:44 AM
b.miller
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Re: The Fountain SPOILER thread
I've seen it twice and really really like it. I do think it's one of those movies that takes time to let you know what it is. It's also quite different from what most Hollywood movies are nowadays in that Aronofksy never really answers some of the big questions of the film. It's much more European in mindset to me... actually closer to Solaris (but I liked this much more than Solaris).

The questions of what is reality and what is connected are deliberately left open to interpretation I think. Just within my circle of friends we had several different outlooks, but we all agreed that at its heart it was about love and death and mourning.

in his Q&A, Aronofsky quoted one of his friends, who after reading the second version of the script (for those that don't know, this movie was originally going to be a huge budget starring Brad Pitt with a full-scale pyramid and lots more mayan stuff) said "you've turned the movie into a poem" which I think describes the picture quite well. It's really more of a meditation or exploration on the theme and emotions than any sort of narrative story.

so whether the mayan story was real or just the book she wrote to cope with her illness and whether the future story was real or just the ending to the book that he wrote to cope with her loss and whether the Hugh Jackmans in the different times were connected at all, it's all whatever you think it should be. I don't think there's a correct answer to this question, and for me that's what makes this movie great, makes it say way more than most of the other stuff out there today.
  #3  
Old 11-24-2006, 11:02 AM
adam
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Re: The Fountain SPOILER thread
Solaris is one of my all-time favorites, so I'm going to have to just come out and say that you're wrong.

My take is: The Spanish story is literally just her story, the present is the only "real" layer, and the future is purely metaphorical/symbolic.

The poem analogy had sprung to mind for me as well.

I'd be curious to read the Brad Pitt script; I'd like to see how they diverge.

That also sums up the problem I experienced quite nicely: I was expecting a science fiction story and was watching poem instead; unfortunately that wasn't clear until the last ten minutes or so.
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Last edited by adam; 11-24-2006 at 11:18 AM.
  #4  
Old 11-24-2006, 11:18 AM
adam
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Re: The Fountain SPOILER thread
See, for me, Solaris worked as poetry and science fiction simultaneously.
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  #5  
Old 11-24-2006, 03:44 PM
jOHN rODRIGUEZ
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Re: The Fountain SPOILER thread
Plans to see this tonight. drop, drop, droooop.
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  #6  
Old 11-24-2006, 04:33 PM
adam
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Re: The Fountain SPOILER thread
Quote:
Originally Posted by jOHN rODRIGUEZ
drop, drop, droooop.

...I don't get what this means. Is this a reference to something about the movie or dropping acid?
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  #7  
Old 11-28-2006, 05:57 PM
dubman
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Re: The Fountain SPOILER thread
that was one of the most beautiful and loving movies i've ever seen.
  #8  
Old 11-29-2006, 10:58 PM
winjer
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Re: The Fountain SPOILER thread
Yeah.. managed to see it a couple months ago at the Vancouver film fest, and couldn't understand the pre-release bad buzz. I absolutley loved it...

Definatley has some problems, and I think Aronofosky goes a little over the top with what is a really simple story towards the end... but overall, beautiful.
  #9  
Old 12-04-2006, 06:17 AM
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Re: The Fountain SPOILER thread
Amazing film.. I've been waiting for Dirty to come back so I could just TALK about it. Damn

Anyhow, can anyone tell me how bald Hugh Jackman of the future got the ring at the end? He put on his wedding ring right before he went supernova. How did he get that? It was supposed to be lost which is why he started going tattoo-crazy. That was the only part that made no sense to me. Otherwise, perfect film and it was very hard to hold back tears.
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  #10  
Old 12-04-2006, 10:39 AM
grady
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Re: The Fountain SPOILER thread
Finally dirty is back to share the love of The Fountain. Just saw this last night and have been listening to the soundtrack a great deal today at work.

Last edited by grady; 12-04-2006 at 11:13 AM.
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