Then choose to die with grace. For as Ellen Burstyn, or Dr. Lillian Guzetti in the movie says, "Most of us go the same way we come in, kicking and screaming...but not Izzi."
Izzi Creo is one person in an age on earth, who had less time than others to squander on life, but she spent the time given to her happily, choosing to finally pass away in slumber peacefully.
This is a key idea I received from The Fountain - don't spend your time fighting what inevitably comes, instead, enjoy the time given to you.
Izzi Creo was one of the three different personas in three different ages through history and place. Hers was the only name I heard throughout the movie, but she is also a Queen of Spain in the time of the Spanish Inquisition, and a perserving spirit in a time probably past what we know - all parallels of the character. And alongside her in all the parallel stories stands her conquistador, her doctor husband and her asetic guardian. The Fountain is, at its least, a love story that perserves through time and space to put simply - in three generations perhaps.
More than that, The Fountain is also an exploration of what it means to live or die and what it takes to be immortal. Birth in death, in the simple example of the dying star that explodes in a supernova and gives birth to new stars, and death in giving life when the conquistador drank of the Tree of Life and sacrificed his body to breathe life into the earth. These are some concepts Director Darren Aronofsky played around with in The Fountain. And played with well.
Aronofsky did not do it alone. His fellow story-teller in the movie is Ari Handel who was cast and crew of Aronofsky's previous works (Requiem and Pi). Cinematographer Matthew Libatique is a name to remember thanks to his work in the movie. He kept things real when portraying the scenes which we might label 'the present' or 'earth as we know it'. When telling the story that sets the clock back to the Spanish Inquisition, he creates an aura of magic wonderment that allows the story the depth to be either part of a past life, or a tale of fiction brought to life. The golden brown colour scheme brought warmth to the otherwise cold endless space in the scenes set in a 'time past what we know'. Libatique's bold jumps through time and space kept the energy alive and sparking in the movie. All this translated the mental imagery from Aronofsky's mind to the screen, making The Fountain such a visual spectacle, bursting with life and colour.
It was a good decision to revolve the movie around the basic love story, for that grounded the movie in the strong acting abilities of Rachel Weisz and Hugh Jackman. Rachel remained malleable enough to portray the necessary depth of each different character, while keeping enough similarity to keep the parallel stories going along each other. I enjoyed her portrayal of Izzi best, considering how she evolved emotionally from fearful to fearless and acepted her passing with ease. Jackman reveals to his X Men followers that he is capable of emotional trauma on top of just looking good. I applaud his sacrifice of shaving his head to play the asetic, but must confess to enjoying his long-haired rugged conquistador role much more.
The Fountain is a beautifully crafted visceral treat, but not all of us can enjoy it in all its grandeur and sophistication. But just let what is beyond you pass over your head, and enjoy the rest, for there is so much to enjoy.
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