7. The Fountain
Plot Summary- A doctor is losing his wife to cancer and wishes to cure her. As she comes to terms with the lack of time she has left in this life, she writes a book and requests that her husband finish it in the event of her death. Then there are three non-linear stories featuring the couple as lead characters, played out centuries apart and out of sequence. Great.
Why is it confusing? How, in the name of Christ, is it possible to follow everything that happens in this film? Darren Aronofsky has a reputation for making exceedingly difficult films, but this, starring Hugh Jackman and Rachael Weisz in its lead roles, has to be the most complex. Aronofsky described the film himself as a Rubiks Cube, which sort of works, because to this day I still havent worked out either. The film had a troubled production. Originally it was planned to have a budget of 70 million dollars and feature Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett in its lead roles, but I can only assume that the those involved suddenl realized the risks of spending so much on such a complex film, as Pitt dropped out and the budget was sliced down to 35 million. Perhaps Weisz replaced Blanchett because her unpronounceable name fit perfectly with the films nature, I dont know. In Pi, another of Aronofskys films, the protagonist drills a hole in his head during the movies climax, providing an eerily appropriate allegory for the process of watching The Fountain.