Murdered by Flowers

A second old blog I saved from my MySpace account.

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Murdered by flowers: A Critique of Aronofsky's The Fountain

Written by: Cherie Black

Death is life. It's difficult to imagine how one could complicate such a simple concept; however, Darren Aronofsky takes the cake in his film The Fountain. Set in three different periods (1500 A.D., 2000 A.D., and 2500 A.D.), the story follows Tom (played by Hugh Jackman) as he attempts to conquer death, first by seeking the tree of life, next by discovering a cure for a brain tumor, and then be traveling to the heart of a dying star.

Thirty minutes into the film, it becomes immediately obvious what Tom needs to discover: not the solution of death, but the acceptance of it. One can only truly live if one is willing to die. However, the viewer must wait another hour to see this revelation take place.

And in that waiting, the viewer is subjected to seriously irksome characters. Take, for example, Izzy (played by Rachel Weisz) the main reason for Tom's obsession. In 1500 A.D., she is Tom's queen and he is her conquistador. As his queen, she commands him to protect her from those who would oppose her by seeking the tree of life. If he is successful, she states that she will be his Eve and that they will live together forever. (Not a bad offer right?) But in 2000 A.D., she, as his wife, explains to him that she is no longer afraid of dying and that her death will bring about new life (a tree can be planted over her grave). This is a far cry from living forever.

In my opinion, Tom's attachment to Izzy is what sets him off his rocker. She sends him so many signals that the poor man can't function properly. This is evidenced by the finest scene in the film: when Tom, out of grief for the loss of his wife, begins tattooing himself with an ink and quill set that she presented him with on her deathbed.

To make matters worse, Aronofsky's chosen vistas are horrendous. If he wanted to convey the celebration of life while lived and death well-accepted, he selected poor colors and backdrops. The characters are faced with blacks, browns, and putrid whites and yellows, not to mention skulls, tubes, and furry trees. If I lived in such conditions, I would be begging for escape. "Open window here I come – GOODBYE LIFE!!"

Overall, if a person desired to talk about life and death, they would be better served by Mitch Albom's book Tuesdays with Morrie, an amazing nonfiction work that allows its reader to connect on a personal level with its characters. Yes, 192 pages does take up more of one's time than a 96 minute movie; however, instead of the far-removed, tedious tale which The Fountain offers, the stimulation provided by the act of reading would at least benefit the brain through exercise and potentially lengthen one's life…. er, yeah…