The Fountain

Director Darren Aronofsky is married to Rachel Weisz. She stars in his new movie The Fountain with Hugh Jackman. It takes place in 3 eras: 1500 AD during the Spanish Inquisition, present day 2006 and 2500 AD. The leads are reincarnated and connected in each epoch. In Spain, Rachel is Isabella and sends her conquistador out to find the Tree of Life for its amazing restorative sap. In present day, Hugh is a research doctor trying to find a cure for his wife Izzy's growing brain tumor. In the future, Hugh is bald and does a lot of yoga in a bubble where he lives with the Tree of Life (whose bark has hairs that respond to his touch) and he is haunted by visions of his wife. The bubble is floating through space trying to reach a dying star (shabalah?).

I loved my TIFF companion Ivana's reaction to the movie: "If I see another star explode I'm going to lose my mind." This film was ambitious and didn't quite deliver. Fans of Aronofsky's Pi and Requiem for a Dream (both of which feature his mainstay Ellen Burstyn) may like this film. The director warned the audience to put those out of their minds. I haven't seen them but this guy is one of the American indie darlings who's graduated to bigger budget films. Just cuz you have a script idea with a time travel hook, pretty good actors and tons of special effects, doesn't mean you have a compelling, touching film. Rachel Weisz looked good on the red carpet for a young mom and flattered her husband by telling us that "seeing your husband be really good at what he does is sexy". Well, I think I have more right to say that than she does. MMM or EVS (meaning WHATEVER - as Rock Star Supernova finalist Toby Rand would say)

Rachel Weisz looks great
Hugh made a sexy doctor
wait for DVD