The Fountain!!!!!

[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