Finally.
I was actually nervous sitting in my theater seat. Not because the audience looked dreadfully wrong for the film (though they did, even though they ended up being fine), but I had been anticipating this film for a v-e-r-y long time. How can any film live up to those expectations? They can't, and I was worried I'd be unfair.
But there is a difference between what you want (or hope) a film is and what it is.
That's a long lead-in, but it was a long wait. I sat through the entire credits, unsure of my response, which can be good and can be bad. The Fountain is an act of love and faith by the director. Unbound by expectations or pretense (yes, pretense, a word that's been thrown around quite a bit), Aronofsky has pursued this story as a bit of an obsession for quite a few years. The result is unique. A standard review is beside the point, so I'll share some thoughts and continue to ruminate.
The narrative is complex, but the theme is not. The film is incredibly shot, not with overwhelming visuals (thought WOW!!! a few times), but with intimacy and beauty. The actors are fantastic, creating their characters in brief scenes. The music is extraordinary, but I expected that. It took a while to grab me, but once it did I was hooked. It is an extremely potent film. Aronofsky packs an incredible amount of emotion into a very tight space. Until a late sequence (which I'll need to watch again) that was somewhat edgy...either I didn't like the scene, or it got away from me before I caught up. But the overall effect of the film was, again, unique and powerful.
It's not a new subject for art to tackle, but it's a very special way of tackling it. I look forward to the discussions.
No rating. But the film made me experience a wide range of emotions, and I wanted to hug my family when I got home. It's a very brave and mature film.
Or you could see Deck the Halls
EDIT:
Check me out at the NY Times...
