The Fountain (2006)

[It seems I survived the holidays, but still in Hungary, so the danger is alive: the more food the less blog entries:)]

But back to business: today's post is an old debt. Darren Aronofsky's The Fountain was released already two years ago surrounded by mostly mixed critics. I felt that I will be on the negative side of those, I tell you why. For me his earlier works were all overestimated films. Especially the Requiem for a Dream (2000), which really disappointed me (Pi (1998) was ok, but nothing else...). I remember when I've seen the Requiem first time it made me almost angry because of its attitudinize-way of storytelling and acting. After a while reading lots of positive comments and enthusiasm I gave the film another chance but the result was the same. Now you understand my feelings towards pushing finally the play button on The Fountain.

"Death is a disease. It's like any other. And there is a cure. A cure! And I'll find it."

Let's start straight. Aronofsky remained one of the most wannabe arty-farty directors in my eyes. His film is good only for one reason: You cannot avoid to think about his way of moviemaking, more precise the way how he tries to catch some art-house attention via his style or way of storytelling. You even start to think about the notions of kitsch or the pursuit of effect searching. Where are the borders of the artfilm and the desperate "claptrappy" narrations? Why I call Wong Kar Wai's or even Kim Ki-duk's films perfect kitsch and why I cannot stand the "same" from others like Aronofsky? What is the difference between mush and slush?

I have some simple feelings for these questions. I used the word 'feelings' instead of 'answers' because I understand the subjective nature of these problems. I wouldn't dare to say that Aronofsky's film is 'bad', I just feel. Myself, from my film-socialized world. I feel that the storytelling is redundant, the acting is overdone (the beautiful Rachel Weisz is just unbelievable forced here), the repetitions are too much, the style starts to ruin the story, the devotional ideology kills the film. By the way, mentioning Kar Wai: I have the same problem here as I suggested about his last movie. If you are not in a middle of a splitting up relationship, it won't work, or even worse: it is going to be kitschy. The same with The Fountain: If your actual girlfriend isn't dying (hope not), then you won't be touched at all. Because it is ""too much"".

Sorry I haven't got better explanation than this "too much" why I called this film the perfect example of a 'claptrap'.

Don't believe the imdb, it's not 7.6 at all...

5/10