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Tuesday, February 1, 2011

The Fountain

This is a call to all of you who have seen Darren Aronofsky's auspicious film, The Fountain, and didn't quite enjoy it, to give it another chance. The soundtrack, by Aronofsky's mainstay, Clint Mansell, is deeply moving and affecting, adding extra sentimentality to a striking, original story. The film moves between the reality of a doctor engaged in a struggle to save his dying wife(Rachel Weisz), a fantasy she has created which revolves around Mayan legend, and a future where an obsessed Dr. Creo (played brilliantly by Hugh Jackman) attempts to reanimate his wife, eons after her death. The film on the surface deals with the pain of loss, and the obsession we have with cheating death, as opposed to enjoying our short time alive.
Aronofsky had originally cast Brad Pitt in the lead in 2000, but Pitt dropped out to make the turdburger, Troy. Cate Blanchett was also cast, but while waiting for her to give birth, the film and its original $70 million budget were dropped. Aronofsky returned a few years later with a budget half its size. The stunning visual effects  were created using, literally, oil in water, and macro photography, and the film was made on the cheap. I implore you, whether you've seen it or not, to give this film a chance.

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