Man, woman, love, death in three centuries

Art-house auteur Darren Aronofsky has made a genre film.

Make that three genre films — but they’re all called “The Fountain.”

Mr. Aronofsky, who won acclaim with 1998’s “Pi” and 2000’s “Requiem for a Dream,” has taken his time with his third film. The result is an adventurous piece of filmmaking that, despite the period costumes and special effects, turns out to be an intensely personal work.

The main story line centers on husband and wife Tommy (Hugh Jackman, “The X-Men”) and Izzi (Rachel Weisz, “The Mummy”). Their childlike names echo the innocence and devotion of their relationship. However, it’s becoming strained — Izzi has a terminal brain tumor, and scientist Tommy is neglecting her in his obsessive search for a cure. He just might have found the tree of life: The sap of a Guatemalan tree is having a startling effect on a sick monkey.

Izzi is writing a book called “The Fountain.” This story, set in the 16th century, also is brought to life by Mr. Jackson and Miss Weisz. Queen Isabel sends conquistador Tomas to South America in search of the Maya tree of life; the immortality it grants, she says, is Spain’s only hope for independence. Finding it also will win Tomas the queen’s hand in marriage.

Now fast-forward 10 centuries. Tom floats in space, his only nourishment a tree that accompanies him. He’s alone but haunted by the memory of his wife — who, it seems, is the same Miss Weisz of the present-day tale.

A romance, a historical fiction and a science-fiction film: “The Fountain” has something for everyone. As the story bounces between centuries, it can be difficult at first to figure out what is happening. Patient viewers, though, will be rewarded by one of the most beautiful films of the year, both visually and emotionally.

Mr. Aronofsky’s storytelling here is very spare, especially in the futuristic plotline, in which Clint Mansell’s haunting score, performed by the Kronos Quartet and Scottish rock band Mogwai, works with the striking visuals to communicate without words.

The film cost just $35 million to make. Instead of expensive — but often fake-looking — computer-generated effects, “The Fountain” uses photographs of chemical reactions to give its image of infinite space a timeless look.

Miss Weisz projects just the right amount of vulnerability. As Tom, Mr. Jackman builds on his strong performance earlier this fall in another genre-bending film, “The Prestige,” to cement his status as a leading man.

“Death is the road to awe,” a Maya leader tells Tomas while preparing to kill him. Izzi seems to accept this. Tommy, even after 10 centuries, can’t.

“The Fountain” is a sometimes confused but always beautiful exploration of man’s never-ending obsession with that holiest of grails, immortality.

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TITLE: “The Fountain”

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