A New Classic

Darren Aronofsky first burst onto the film scene 8 years ago with a small black and white film entitled Pi. It was a quiet yet ambitious film that made the first announcement of a new up in comer who was sure to spin the film world on its head. His exploration of life, death and god proved to be quite interesting, yet left something to be desired. His follow up film would prove him to be a film maker moving forward in leaps and bounds. As Requiem for a Dream came and exhibited some new camera work and editing rhythms that had not yet been seen in an American studio film. Furthering what he had already achieved with Pi, Requiem for a Dream was a master piece. However the film was unfortunately lost on the critics and most panned or did not understand it. It’s a film that leaves you floating in a vast ocean of hopelessness. As you watch the peoples on screen fall apart due to addiction, you begin to feel yourself wither away with them, and after the film is done a subtle, lingering feeling creeps it’s way into your consciousness and for hours, sometimes days it leaves you in a state of perpetual loathing. If the reason for film is to make you feel what’s on screen, and bring you into the life and problems of the characters, Requiem for a Dream stands a shinning example. As the years wore on it became more prominent in the collective pop culture consciousness, and much like it predecessor it found its audience, albeit Requiem found a wider one. Misfortune struck the film again however as the bulk of the audience that found the film, were quite misinformed. The people who watched it happened to largely be young teenage stoners that only enjoy it as they would Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. They enjoyed Requiem because to them it was about drugs and that was cool, with no heed for anything about the film past that, in their books it was a slightly more serious Cheech and Chong movie. The question, what could this all mean?  was never brought up. It was lost in a sub culture that kills the things it labels, like the Klu Klux Klan kills the ideals they choose to back. In fact it was not all that long ago I talked to someone I once respected and believed was not such a tragic case, only to be met with “…yeah, well Requiem was awesome because the drug trips it showed were so real and cool.” I stared at her with a hidden contempt and dug a little further into what she meant. The basic conclusion was that the film was just a cool little movie that was about drugs and nothing more, the cool factor within that life. These people seem to be disregarding the entire second half of the film in which everything begins in a downwards spiral; perhaps they had all passed out by this point. I guess this was no different then Taxi Driver being lost on a generation of angry loners, or Fight Club being lost on yet another generation of comfortably numbed consumers. Requiem was just another casualty to another lobotomized youth that could never hope to actually waste the energy it would take to delve a little deeper into things.  They don’t realize how deep the wells run in a good film. The themes and imagery that must be used to create a true piece of art. It is here that Darren Aronofksys' latest film has excelled. It’s a beautiful multi-layered, multi-themed tapestry woven by a true master. This is not the first film to do so and may not be the best. But it is the first film I have encountered that I fear to rip apart. I left knowing it was great because I felt it; I didn’t need to find it. I worry about what the bloody carcass of this film would look like, and indeed I believe I may be justified. For The Fountain may be despite all its controversy, perfect.

I originally saw this film in October. I was just finishing up a 12 month straight stint at the Vancouver Film School and while my friends and I had been editing our final projects we had managed to score seats to an advanced screening of the film at the Vancouver International Film Festival. We had all eagerly been waiting for this film for quite some time and were excited that the day had finally come to witness something that had so much hype built up around it. It had caused a riot to break out in Venice, been cheered on at Toronto and had most recently been the cause of lively debates between critics. We walked in expecting to see a good film; we walked out having witnessed the first ever true cinematic experience. We were all stunned. The film itself may feel slow at parts and like it goes on for 3 hours, in fact one of the most impressive things about the film is what Aronofsky can jam into 90 minutes. You never want it to end yet are relieved when it does. It explores many themes such as life, death, love, legacy, aging, the list goes on and it’s not my place to delve into each and explain it as I believe that is the viewers’ job, to understand it. I will however say this, walking out of the film was sublime. Something I have never felt from any movie I was transfixed. The Fountain put me in another world. I felt lifted as I walked down a street vaguely aware of the vessels around me. The film in itself is extremely enjoyable and simply beautiful. It ingeniously shot, and the narrative while perhaps challenging for some is for lack of a better word awe-inspiring. I do believe nothing like it has ever been done in American cinema, possibly ever. And now a month and a half later the day to witness this experience again has come, for everyone. I’ve waited eagerly for the chance to sit in a theater with people again and enjoy this experience. Revel in it all and observe the reactions of the audience around me. But the day has been marred; as the critical reaction has come out for the film and much like Requiem for a Dream it is largely negative.  I wouldn’t let this affect you too much on a film like this, for it is easy to feel unsteady and unsure after. Most I believe are scared of what they feel. They do not open themselves up. Instead they fight it tooth and nail and in the end get prematurely ripped away from the experience like a child leaving the safety of the womb and are left floating in a vast nothingness. These critics would rather witness the all together mediocrity of Crash again before allowing themselves to be completely taken away by a film. A select few have spoken out for the film. Spoken to tell the public what a truly special piece of work this is, and will no doubt go down in history as a classic. I imagine in 20 years people will be lined up too see a re-release of this film, it will be taught in film schools the world over, and those critics that originally disliked it will eat their own words and hail to this cinematic marvel. This may all seem hard to believe, but it draws comparison to another classic. In 1941 critics and audiences alike shunned a film by a new up in comer named Orson Welles. The film was booed every time it was mentioned at the academy awards and it was put into the RKO vault until the mid 1950’s when it was fully realized. Citizen Kane is now known as the greatest movie of all time.

The Fountain is a film that is hard to describe. It stars Hugh Jackman as a man with a dying wife (played expertly by Rachel Weisz), 3 quests for immortality, the results of such quests and a bitter sweet love story that remains heart felt and sincere. The film is different from what American audiences are used to and the structure may be hard for some to understand. The acting by both leads and everyone involved is top notch, and I do believe this film will move Hugh Jackman from wolverine status to a definitive actor. It takes chances and uses techniques Aronofsky has pioneered in previous films, but like the differing executions of the last two, The Fountain takes those techniques to a whole new level. Originally Darren Aronofsky was a cinephiles' director, and I hope with this one he will cross over to a main stream auteur. However in the back of my mine, I fear this will take more time than it should. In a time when a movie is judged by it’s opening weekend box office revenue, and then tossed away. How can a film like this stand? I hope word of mouth carries well and that the masses are sick of the current status quo. I can only hope. But I do implore for any one who reads this to go out and pay the $10.95 to see this film. If you go in with an open mind, and an open heart, I promise you a spiritual experience. The film is an original and I truly believe destined for greatness. I have heard The Fountain described as “2001 with a heart.” It’s an interesting line and one I can’t wholly disagree with, it is. But it’s hard to sum up a movie such as this with one line, so I chose one that I’ve herd used to describe the reaction to it, "Diversity of opinion about a work of art shows that the work is new, complex, and vital."-Oscar Wilde.

See The Fountain.

Levi Meaden is a 17 year old movie lover that is going to film school in the fall and plans to hopefully direct one day. Feel free to drop him a line at spidey2031@hotmail.com