The Fountain

Darren Aronofsky's (Requiem For A Dream, Pi) trippy love story weaves three parallel yarns at once. The focal point, or main thread, is this: Tomas (Hugh Jackman) is a scientist racing to find a cure for brain cancer, because his wife Izzi (Rachel Weisz) is dying. Another tale is set in the past. This one tells the story of the Tree of Life (from the book of Genesis) which is found in Mayan Guatemala. A Mayan priest with a flaming sword guards the tree. The Spanish Queen (Weisz) sends one of her conquistadors (Jackman) to bring an elixer back, to save Spain. The last thread is other-worldly. Set in the future, Tomas is traveling inside a bubble with the tree to a dying nebula that the Mayan's considered the afterlife. This setting has many Buddhist and Hindu undertones, as well as beautiful imagery (pictured above).
All said and done, I believe The Fountain is about death. We as humans have always been afraid of death. It is the greatest unknown. The Fountain of Youth has been in the human psyche for centuries because it would conquer our greatest fear. Tomas is searching for the Fountain, the "cure" (or Tree, they are pretty much synonymous in the film) to save his dying wife. He does not want her to die. He searches for it in the present, in the past, and in the future. And like most guys, he wants to fix the problem. Death is a big problem. God knows we fear death. But Jesus conquered death; he's the only one to ever do so. So in essense, he is the Fountain of Youth (he calls himself the spring of living water, right?). Yet in this world death is inevitable. The struggle of the protagonist is the struggle we all have. We all want to conquer death. Will he be able to stop his wife from dying? Or must he come to terms with Izzi's death? Is there anything we lowly humans can do?
Tiffanie pointed out that the past and future stories are mediums for telling the "real story." The past is a dramatic retelling of the present, with all the adventure, mystery, and excitement of a good book. The future manifests itself as Tomas' character's spirituality played out in artistic form. The supernatural realm of the story, along with Tomas' mediation, invites insight and revelation. The guardian of the tree calls the spiritual Tomas "first father" and allows him to approach the tree. When Tomas greedily partakes of the sap, he forfeits himself for the new growth that springs from his body and overcomes his finite life (he cannot tame or wield eternal life to his desires; he cannot control life or death). Throughout the film, Izzy commands him to "finish it." After this epiphany, Tomas leaves his office, and the rush for the cure, to spend the last few hours of his wife's life loving and enjoying her. Tiff believes she was asking him to finish it in the true story, the real world. He sacrifices his desires to promote quality of life for her in her last moments here on earth.
The Fountain is romantic to its core. To what extent would you go for the one you love? Izzi gives Tomas purpose, but more so than just a problem to solve. There is a deep connection, and he will do anything to keep from losing it, from losing her. Are his efforts valiant? Is he just struggling against the inevitable? Or, will they still be together forever, even if she succumbs to the cancer?
The Fountain uses brilliant storytelling devices to play out a threefold narrative that captivates the audience's minds and hearts. This is beautiful, exquisite filmmaking.