Sunday, December 21, 2008

A very short review of The Fountain and thoughts on Death


First of all, Hugh Jackman has got to be one of the most gorgeous people on this planet. Now that we have set that straight, life can go on as it normally does.

With themes we are all familiar with, such as love, the search for an answer to life's mysteries, and death, this movie captures you from the very beginning with it's amazing cinematography. A tree, mostly almost dead stands alone, and a bald (but still good looking) Hugh Jackman sits crossed legged, and then there's all these memories flashing back and forth as the story moves from the inter-related lives of the characters that had spanned over centuries, from the days when Spain had a Queen, to the modern world we live in , right up to the futuristic view of life.

What's captivating about the movie is the fact that it incorporates Mayan folklore, and discusses the existence of the tree of life and how it is death that creates life (a suggestion by Rachel Weisz character, Izzi) Despite the movie being 'slow'- not much action except for the part where Tommy/Thomas (Hugh Jackman) strangles the doctor when he tells him that his wife (Izzi) was dead, it was very intriguing and beautiful in it's own way.

For me, the most interesting part of the movie is where Tommy says that "Death is a disease. It's like any other. And there's a cure" which gave me the impression that he needed/wanted to find a cure for death, and that people shouldn't be dying off just like that (I can't really blame him for thinking that way because Izzi was young when she died of a brain tumour)

Somehow, that got me thinking about death on it's own, and how I think it effects people. I think most of the time, someone's death mostly affects other people and not the person who dies. I mean, people like partners, parents, or children or even friends would think that they should not have gone so soon, and how they have so much to offer and how things would be different if they were alive which is all well and true, but I think that I were to find out that I was going to die, I'd accept it quite well and not fret too much. I mean, I'm sure I'd think of the few things I've always wanted to do but never got to do, but then again, perhaps when you're dead it doesn't matter anymore.

Picture borrowed from cinematic.com

8 comments:

  1. My dad is fond of saying, "What do I care? I'll be dead."

    Despite that, I think it's human nature to wonder and worry about the people we leave behind. And it's natural to be a bit afraid of dying, because nobody really knows what it's like.

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  2. Perhaps that is the reason why people are afraid of death...

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  3. Hello again!

    Well, do you also consider the possibility that death may not be an end, but another beginning? Just like getting out of the womb may seem like the end to an unborn baby, whereas they are about to be born to this life. If this is the case, then death would affect the dead one most, right?

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  4. Hello again... :)

    There is a possibility of it being so... In fact, that's what Izzi said in the movie. She was very positive about death itself. Do you by any chance have a blog I could visit?

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  5. I've never even heard of this movie. You made it sound so awesome!

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  6. No, I am too lazy and disorganized to blog :( Moreover, English would be an issue. But if I ever have one, will let you know. In the meanwhile I'll just keep enjoying the blogs you guys have.

    The Fountain sounds very interesting. I also just noticed that it is by the director of "requiem for a dream." That guy knows how to create the desired effect.

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  7. Orhan: Thanks, I guess it was a pretty cool movie, although I never heard of it until my sister told me about it some time ago http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0414993/

    V: Oh, that will be cool:) It is an interesting movie indeed. Good message :)

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  8. I love The Fountain. It also got me thinking about how someone's death matters as much to the people they are close to than it does to them. I was captivated by the line "Death is the road to awe." For some an exploration on this line and on death in general check out http://happymortal.com/2008/12/death-is-the-road-to-awe/

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