3. The Fountain (2006)
2006's The Fountain is a disjointed narrative that is spread among three stories running parallel to one another. It spans three time periods and places. One of narratives being told is set in the twenty-first century and is focused on Thomas Creo (Hugh Jackman), a doctor frantically trying to find a cure for his wife, Izzi (Rachel Weisz), who has been stricken with cancer. The second follows a conquistador named Tomás who is seeking the tree of life for his Queen Isabel set against the backdrop of the inquisition. The third follows Thomas many years in the future, hurtling through space inside a biosphere that also houses the dying tree of life, towards a dying star in hopes to be reunited with Izzi after it burns out based on a notion mentioned by her earlier in the film that implies the star was representative of Xibalba (also referred to as the Underworld in Mayan culture). All of these parallel timelines could be construed as one narrative being told at various intervals, with the same characters. Having the conquistador and Queen Isabel portrayed by Jackman and Weisz certainly hints at the possibility, but ultimately it's up to the audience to decide just how much they would like to suspend their disbeliefs. The film is essentially a meditation on death, and the acceptance of. Thomas refuses to accept the fact that his wife has a limited amount of time left, and while in this state of denial, he's missing out on what Izzi needs more than anything. While he's researching a cure, she is writing a book titled, The Fountain, in which it's revealed that the conquistador narrative is actually what's being written by her (or at least, one could assume). She not only wants Thomas to read her book, but to finish it. Again, Thomas refuses and is swallowed whole by his work. His moment of clarity comes after Izzi has passed and he's sitting on his bedside alone. He takes a fountain pen she had given him as a gift and pierces his finger with the sharp end. Blood clumps up on the tip and he pokes at his wound a second time. His hand recoils and that is perhaps the first time he truly realizes what he has lost and the guilt of not having spent as much time with Izzi as he could have sets in. From here, we are taken back to the future narrative and the biosphere has reached its destination. The star is dying and in its passing, a rebirth will take place. Thomas sits in the lotus position and floats towards the star and accepts his fate. In an instant, light burns through and bends him like a twig, creating a sort of star dust that falls over the tree, giving it life anew. Snow has fallen and Thomas walks over to Izzi's gravestone, drops a seed just above it. The expression on his face is that of acceptance and tranquility. The act of inflicting physical pain on himself was of Thomas' own necessitation. Much like Pi, the character of Thomas reaches a point where he's faced with his own mortality and decides he wants to salvage what is left before he loses himself. He then makes a conscious decision to relinquish himself of his fears, doubts, and frustrations, despite the loss.