The Fountain - 2006
..by Darren Aronofsky
The overwhelming sensation that 'some one' is really
trying hard to impress is in a few instances replaced by
the beauty of some shots.
Analogies, allegories and parables did increase the depth of
the dialogue, but lessened the discourse. It faded the true point,
there´s a lack of coherence, between the deep proposal
and the cheesy love story, between the raw shots from the
real life and those of unnatural nature.
The conclusion is that with the unnatural field of
possibilities there introduced, a lack of loyalty in the
relationship between proposal/result was the end
of the film.
The Tree of life, the source of all happiness, the answer of all
the problems the 'deus ex-machine' the 'Grail' itself combined with
the philosophy of of the dying star 'Shibalba' are the only real
way to comprehend this work (If this was ever an intention),
since from it is taken it´s title and it´s drama.
Our guy is trying hard to save the world, or to rescue his world,
by dodging all barriers, all heathen (unbelievers/uncooperative)
forces he faced. In his fight against cancer, his dying wife, gifts him
with an unfinished book (about a spanish conquistador in an
expedition to a remote site in Central America pursuiting the tree
of life), that he would have to finish as she passes away.
A third plot is also introduced, one of a religious atmosphere.
With a guy protecting a dying tree in a 'bubble' flying toward
a dying star.
In all 3 universes, (should I call it that way?) he was placed before
an invincible opponent, and the odds where even (If I´m clear enough).
Why would he do it? Why face it all? - because of his girl!
Off course! He fought it all to have his female partner by his side
for ever. And so he placed his Hope on that,
on the overcoming of the enemy, seeking to assure
his girl´s society for as long as possible.
And we see it, in many instances; in it´s shots
Aronofsky emphasizes a need of the environment to point out
the characters rather than draw attention to itself.
The focus is on his desperate dilemma, on the object of
our hero´s hope and nothing else.
His wife, however, placed her hope on something higher
than that, on an 'after hope' making fair
all the heathen unfairness of this plane of existence.
The tumor itself was but the will of God, and
the fight of our protagonist against it, is nonetheless the fight
of the medieval warrior against the guardian of the source of life.
Both tumor and Maian priest
kept the hero from conquering eternal life.
(as did the cherubim and the flaming sword there also mentioned.)
Shibalba, the dying star, the object of hope of the ancient
civilization was what it was, because when i´ts gone,
it´ll create something greater than it self, and
in it´s death, develop life.
What a remarkable thing. When his hopes of
helping her are dead, then the belief in
something greater is born,
from the dead hope he lost. Now "I want to die"
means something pretty, and the
seed on the ground