The Fountain!!!!!

[CZAR]

Wow just watched this film and boy oh boy I dont know what to say. I dont know if I liked it or if I hated it! I dont know if I know what it was about! I think I was bored to deaf, but then I think it had my attention. I came to the realization that I didnt get it fully and I dont think it was a movie for me! Im not really sure exactly what happened! I know a couple of u on here like squid(I think) loves this film. Please tell me what I missed or didnt get! Maybe its that old saying....diff strokes for diff folks! I will say some parts of the film looked beautiful but overall I was lost! Got Em!!

[Q?]

This movie is for multiple viewings CZAR!
I fell in love with it the first time I saw it, I didn't understand much though
But I could definitely tell that this is a fantastic movie!!!
Kudos for you that you give a sh** about peoples recommendations and for trying!
Now we still need that 2001 thread of yours...
Go!!

[CZAR]

Originally Posted by Q!

This movie is for multiple viewings CZAR!
I fell in love with it the first time I saw it, I didn't understand much though
But I could definitely tell that this is a fantastic movie!!!
Kudos for you that you give a sh** about peoples recommendations and for trying!
Now we still need that 2001 thread of yours...
Go!!

Haha yo Q......yea man I watched off my DVR in HD and man some scenes especially when he was at the tree with the setting real bright with gold stars or whatever looked very nice. But I have no idea what happened??? Hahahaha! Its one thing to look nice but its another thing to feel like a dummy for not getting it. lol I really dont know if I can sit through it again even though its only a hour and a half! Im sure squid can shed some light for both of us! Oh yea I will get to 2001 soon as I go on vacation next week! Got Em!!

[Q?]

Here my understanding of the movie CZAR.

[Show spoiler]To me the movie is about accepting and coming to terms with death and our mortality.
Hugh Jackman is trying to save his wife from her deadly cancer in all of the different times, or if I remember correctly the past is the wifes book that she's writing.
The future is the last chapter that has to be written by Jackman.
It's in three different times, past present and future.

Past is the wife as the Queen of Spain or the country that is invaded (cancer), this is the wifes book that she is writing in the present.
Present is obvious
Future is Jackman in a spacebuble as a monk trying to save the tree of life (wife), this is Jackman finishing the book, the last chapter.

In the past The Queen (wife) is threatened by invasion (cancer) and Jackman is trying to save her and the country by looking for the tree of life.
In the present he's looking for the cure, he even talks about curing death ALL TOGETHER.
Remember she wrote a book in the present and left one chapter for her husband to finish? that was all about Jackman had to come to terms with death and accepting it and finishing the book.

In the future the tree of life is his wife and he tries to save it/her by going to the star (cure). But he breaks the bubble and accepts death. He accepts death, that's his last chapter that he finishes for his wife.

Also in the past Jackman dies while drinking too much of from the tree of life, greed, that could be understood as him trying to find a cure for cancer and death all together, but ultimately missing what was important.
Remember were the wife says something about "come out to the snow" at their home? It's shown several times and Jackman said no, he should have just said YES and spend more time with his beloved wife instead of pursuing the cure to death and he should've just accepted death as a natural part of life.
Anyways that is my confusing take of the movie
Go!!

[Lord_Stewie]

Originally Posted by Q!

Here my understanding of the movie CZAR.

[Show spoiler]To me the movie is about accepting and coming to terms with death and our mortality.
Hugh Jackman is trying to save his wife from her deadly cancer in all of the different times, or if I remember correctly the past is the wifes book that she's writing.
It's in three different times, past present and future.
Past is the wife as the Queen of Spain
Present is obvious
Future is Jackman in a spacebuble as a monk trying to save the tree of life (wife)

In the past The Queen (wife) is threatened by invasion (cancer) and Jackman is trying to save her and the country by looking for the tree of life.
In the present he's looking for the cure, he even talks about curing death ALL TOGETHER.
Remember she wrote a book in the present and left one chapter for her husband to finish? that was all about Jackman had to come to terms with death and accepting it and finishing the book (the future I think).
In the future the tree of life is his wife and he tries to save it/her by going to the star (cure). But he breaks the bubble and accepts death.
Also in the past Jackman dies while drinking too much of from the tree of life, greed, that could be understood as him trying to find a cure for cancer and death all together, but ultimately missing what was important.
Remember were the wife says something about "come out to the snow" at their home? It's shown several times and Jackman said no, he should have just said YES and spend more time with his beloved wife instead of pursuing the cure to death and he should've just accepted death as a natural part of life.
Anyways that is my confusing take of the movie
Go!!

Thanks Q.

[Show spoiler]Now I am more confused.

[Q?]

Originally Posted by Lord_Stewie

Thanks Q.

[Show spoiler]Now I am more confused.

lol Shad...
My structuring is really messy
I hope people actually understand what I'm trying to say

I've updated my take on the whole thing, makes a little more sense

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by Q!

Here my understanding of the movie CZAR.

[Show spoiler]To me the movie is about accepting and coming to terms with death and our mortality.
Hugh Jackman is trying to save his wife from her deadly cancer in all of the different times, or if I remember correctly the past is the wifes book that she's writing.
The future is the last chapter that has to be written by Jackman.
It's in three different times, past present and future.

Past is the wife as the Queen of Spain or the country that is invaded (cancer), this is the wifes book that she is writing in the present.
Present is obvious
Future is Jackman in a spacebuble as a monk trying to save the tree of life (wife), this is Jackman finishing the book, the last chapter.

In the past The Queen (wife) is threatened by invasion (cancer) and Jackman is trying to save her and the country by looking for the tree of life.
In the present he's looking for the cure, he even talks about curing death ALL TOGETHER.
Remember she wrote a book in the present and left one chapter for her husband to finish? that was all about Jackman had to come to terms with death and accepting it and finishing the book.

In the future the tree of life is his wife and he tries to save it/her by going to the star (cure). But he breaks the bubble and accepts death. He accepts death, that's his last chapter that he finishes for his wife.

Also in the past Jackman dies while drinking too much of from the tree of life, greed, that could be understood as him trying to find a cure for cancer and death all together, but ultimately missing what was important.
Remember were the wife says something about "come out to the snow" at their home? It's shown several times and Jackman said no, he should have just said YES and spend more time with his beloved wife instead of pursuing the cure to death and he should've just accepted death as a natural part of life.
Anyways that is my confusing take of the movie
Go!!

i dont think anyone can truly "explain" this film, except aranofsky.

but here goes my interpretation

[Show spoiler] only the present and future tom are real. the past tom is the conquisidor referenced in the book (who we see at beginning of the film). the past tom isn't real, just a character in the book.

as Q said, the present Tom was constantly trying to cure/fight/resist his wife's death, by trying to develop cures,etc. she died, hence he failed. at her funeral, he still says that "death is a disease", hence hasn't accepted death. he planted a tree at her grave. his wife talked about how (dont recall who) someone, after they died, became part of the plants/soil/etc.

at this point: how did present tom age 500 years to about the year 2600? i dont know if the movie spells this out, but i presume he just kept working in the lab and conjured up an anti-aging cure (the green mix he was eating in the spaceship). the tree thats in the spaceship supposedly represents his wife, and i think that is the tree he planted at her grave (and hence that she was absorbed into).

in the spaceship: we see future tom struggling to still finish the book. then it seems that he thinks back to changing a choice he made, and go for a walk with his wife, instead of going to the lab to fight death. this seems to be a cruicial realiziation for him in the future, as it shows he is starting to let go of the fighting/resisting of death. as he continues to do this, he was able to finish teh last chapter of the book (in his head, in the future), where he appeared to the mayan warrior in the buddha-posture, and not fighting/resisting any violence against him. hence, he was identified as the one and permitted to teh tree of life (i guess b/c he didnt resist any attempts to kill/strike him), and at the tree of life he fed off, he didnt die but was merely redistributed/reborn (as his wife said) through death. all of this "past tom" realization is mental writing of the last chapter by the future tom, who then completes "the book" and his soul is free to shoot through the mayan star (as i guess his wife said: this is where souls go to be reborn?!)

[jhiggy23]

And this is exactly what I love about the film--so many differing interpretations that, while I may not agree with them, exemplify the thought that the film arouses. I really enjoy reading ppl's thoughts about the film, especially those I know who greatly appreciate the film. I'm proud to have turned on several members of this site to this excellent film.

[Q?]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

i dont think anyone can truly "explain" this film, except aranofsky.

but here goes my interpretation

[Show spoiler] only the present and future tom are real. the past tom is the conquisidor referenced in the book (who we see at beginning of the film). the past tom isn't real, just a character in the book.

as Q said, the present Tom was constantly trying to cure/fight/resist his wife's death, by trying to develop cures,etc. she died, hence he failed. at her funeral, he still says that "death is a disease", hence hasn't accepted death. he planted a tree at her grave. his wife talked about how (dont recall who) someone, after they died, became part of the plants/soil/etc.

at this point: how did present tom age 500 years to about the year 2600? i dont know if the movie spells this out, but i presume he just kept working in the lab and conjured up an anti-aging cure (the green mix he was eating in the spaceship). the tree thats in the spaceship supposedly represents his wife, and i think that is the tree he planted at her grave (and hence that she was absorbed into).

in the spaceship: we see future tom struggling to still finish the book. then it seems that he thinks back to changing a choice he made, and go for a walk with his wife, instead of going to the lab to fight death. this seems to be a cruicial realiziation for him in the future, as it shows he is starting to let go of the fighting/resisting of death. as he continues to do this, he was able to finish teh last chapter of the book (in his head, in the future), where he appeared to the mayan warrior in the buddha-posture, and not fighting/resisting any violence against him. hence, he was identified as the one and permitted to teh tree of life (i guess b/c he didnt resist any attempts to kill/strike him), and at the tree of life he fed off, he didnt die but was merely redistributed/reborn (as his wife said) through death. all of this "past tom" realization is mental writing of the last chapter by the future tom, who then completes "the book" and his soul is free to shoot through the mayan star (as i guess his wife said: this is where souls go to be reborn?!)

Wow.. I have to see this again in the near future...
I'll have to consider everybody's intrepretations
Try reading Jhiggy's take.

[F-Man]

I just reread Jhiggy23's interpretation. I recall reading it before but didn't pay too much attention last time probably because I was in a hurry.

It is perfect! I love how you provide an explanation to him eating at the tree of Izzi's grave. This is shown in the movie so slowly that it always seemed like it had to have an important double meaning other than just showing an astronaut eating what he can to survive a flight to a dieing star.

It did always seem odd that Tom would have found his cure for death and jumped the movie into such an extreme science fiction vibe when so much of it is metaphorical rather than fictional fact. I think Aronofsky always mentioned the science fiction aspect of the story as being real. It would be real if Tom didn't get his epiphany at first and went on with his experiments to become immortal. The director decided to let the viewer ask himself: did it take the death of Tom's wife to evolve his character, or the death of the tree planted on her grave? By choosing how realistic you want the movie to be, you are also deciding how quickly the main character comes to his ultimate realization.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

i dont think anyone can truly "explain" this film, except aranofsky.

but here goes my interpretation

[Show spoiler] only the present and future tom are real. the past tom is the conquisidor referenced in the book (who we see at beginning of the film). the past tom isn't real, just a character in the book.

as Q said, the present Tom was constantly trying to cure/fight/resist his wife's death, by trying to develop cures,etc. she died, hence he failed. at her funeral, he still says that "death is a disease", hence hasn't accepted death. he planted a tree at her grave. his wife talked about how (dont recall who) someone, after they died, became part of the plants/soil/etc.

at this point: how did present tom age 500 years to about the year 2600? i dont know if the movie spells this out, but i presume he just kept working in the lab and conjured up an anti-aging cure (the green mix he was eating in the spaceship). the tree thats in the spaceship supposedly represents his wife, and i think that is the tree he planted at her grave (and hence that she was absorbed into).

in the spaceship: we see future tom struggling to still finish the book. then it seems that he thinks back to changing a choice he made, and go for a walk with his wife, instead of going to the lab to fight death. this seems to be a cruicial realiziation for him in the future, as it shows he is starting to let go of the fighting/resisting of death. as he continues to do this, he was able to finish teh last chapter of the book (in his head, in the future), where he appeared to the mayan warrior in the buddha-posture, and not fighting/resisting any violence against him. hence, he was identified as the one and permitted to teh tree of life (i guess b/c he didnt resist any attempts to kill/strike him), and at the tree of life he fed off, he didnt die but was merely redistributed/reborn (as his wife said) through death. all of this "past tom" realization is mental writing of the last chapter by the future tom, who then completes "the book" and his soul is free to shoot through the mayan star (as i guess his wife said: this is where souls go to be reborn?!)

As always, insightful and thoughtful, even if I subscribe to a different analytical viewpoint. I've come to rely on your thoughts on films.

[kevinbr100]

i had the same reaction

[Starbreaker]

The first time I watched the film I thought the future segment was real, but I think after rewatching it that he wrote it as part of the book in order to cope with her death.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by CZAR

Wow just watched this film and boy oh boy I dont know what to say. I dont know if I liked it or if I hated it! I dont know if I know what it was about! I think I was bored to deaf, but then I think it had my attention. I came to the realization that I didnt get it fully and I dont think it was a movie for me! Im not really sure exactly what happened! I know a couple of u on here like squid(I think) loves this film. Please tell me what I missed or didnt get! Maybe its that old saying....diff strokes for diff folks! I will say some parts of the film looked beautiful but overall I was lost! Got Em!!

OMFG, you actually watched a thinking man's movie?!

Seriously though, I had the exact same sentiments when I first watched it; it was slow and I wasn't sure if I understood it properly. But afterwards, I just couldn't stop thinking about the stories.

Here's my interpretation; sorry if somebody else mentioned all this, but I haven't read through everybody else's yet. I'm also sorry if any of it is a mis-interpretation (I've only seen the movie once! ).

I think the thing that helped me understand it the most was that, even though three separate storylines are presented, only one is considered "real," and that would be the story of the doctor trying to save his wife. The stuff in the past with the conquistadors was something from a book they were writing (or possibly a past-life experience, I don't remember now). The stuff in the future is more of a spiritual representation, born from the Spanish guy who

[Show spoiler] was consumed by the Tree of Life's sap

and managed to achieve some form of enlightenment by the end of the film. Therefore, I see it as three different levels of the character; one real, one fictional, and one ethereal.

[Q?]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

OMFG, you actually watched a thinking man's movie?!

Seriously though, I had the exact same sentiments when I first watched it; it was slow and I wasn't sure if I understood it properly. But afterwards, I just couldn't stop thinking about the stories.

Here's my interpretation; sorry if somebody else mentioned all this, but I haven't read through everybody else's yet. I'm also sorry if any of it is a mis-interpretation (I've only seen the movie once! ).

I think the thing that helped me understand it the most was that, even though three separate storylines are presented, only one is considered "real," and that would be the story of the doctor trying to save his wife. The stuff in the past with the conquistadors was something from a book they were writing (or possibly a past-life experience, I don't remember now). The stuff in the future is more of a spiritual representation, born from the Spanish guy who

[Show spoiler] was consumed by the Tree of Life's sap

and managed to achieve some form of enlightenment by the end of the film. Therefore, I see it as three different levels of the character; one real, one fictional, and one ethereal.

[Show spoiler]Just kidding, this movie can of course be intrepreted in many different ways

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by Q!

[Show spoiler]Just kidding, this movie can of course be intrepreted in many different ways

I just read jhiggy's article, and I think I agree with it (and he brought up some things I didn't think about before ).

[Q?]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

I just read jhiggy's article, and I think I agree with it (and he brought up some things I didn't think about before ).

Yes!
I like Jhiggys but I have my own theory that I'll have to think about more after rewatching it!
This movie is so complex man!
Love it

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by Q!

Yes!
I like Jhiggys but I have my own theory that I'll have to think about more after rewatching it!
This movie is so complex man!
Love it

Definitely, it means different things to different people. I love those ppl who used to say it was a very simple movie, yet their analyses were completely and utterly wrong (note: none of the posted analyses on this thread are what I'm referring to---the ppl I'm referring to would say, "Duh! Look at the trailer! It's the same person over three different time periods!" To which I )

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

OMFG, you actually watched a thinking man's movie?!

.