Requiem for a Dream director Darren Aronofsky switches gears from drug-induced urban malaise to abstract science fiction with this time-tripping symbolic tale of a man's thousand-year quest to save the woman he loves. Moving between representational stories and images, this meditation on life and death focuses on the concept of the mythical Tree of Life that is said to bestow immortality to all who drink of its sap. In one of the film's allegorical timelines, a 16th century Spanish conquistador played by Hugh Jackman sets out to find the tree in order to save his queen (Rachel Weisz) from the Inquisition. Another conceptual story finds Jackman centuries later, struggling with mortality as a modern-day scientist desperately searching for the medical breakthrough that will save the life of his cancer-stricken wife, Izzi. The third and most abstract concept finds Jackman as a different incarnation of the same character-idea, this time questing for eternal life within the confines of a floating sphere transporting the aged Tree of Life through the depths of space. Even more avant-garde than his breakthrough film Pi, The Fountain finds Aronofsky almost completely abandoning conventional story structure in favor of something more cinematically abstract. Though the film was originally slapped with an R by the MPAA, Aronofsky and co. re-edited it to conform to a PG-13 rating. Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Genre: Drama
- Category Romantic Drama, Psychological Sci-Fi
- Theme: Immortality, Dying Young, Obsessive Quests, Reincarnation, Death of a Partner
- Studio: Warner Home Video
- Run Time: 01 hr 36 min
- Language: French, English
- Subtitle Language: English, Spanish, French
- Picture Format: widescreen
- Format: Blu-ray
- Release Date: May 15, 2007
- Lead Actor: Mark Margolis, Ellen Burstyn, Rachel Weisz, Stephen McHattie, Hugh Jackman
- Supporting Actor: Elfego Vinicio Pena Castellanos, Eric Carmelo Valenzuela Batz, Edson Vasquez Pixabaj, Mateo Martin Perez, Luis Alfredo Yac Noj, Hugo Salvador Gutierrez Aguilar, Tomas Tol Nix, Guatemaya Chicua, Marcello Bezina, Patricia Dal, Kevin Kelsall, Alexandre Bisping, Boyd Banks, Janique Kearns, Anish Majumdar, Renee Asofsky, Abraham Aronofsky, Lorne Brass, Richard McMillan, Ethan Suplee, Donna Murphy, Sean Patrick Thomas, Cliff Curtis, Fernando Hernandez, Jose Maria Tol Chan, Tomas Morales Sacquic, Benjamin Panjoj Cortez, Juan Salvador Lares, Jose Alfredo Conoz Macario, Santos Ajic Sapon, Xaijil Sicajan, Manuel Antonio Salvador Tol, Tomas Salvador Tol, Tomas Augustin Canil Ventura, Carlos Enrique Ramos Xalcut, Octavio Guadelupe Zabala, Xitamul, Yolanda, Bianca Cody Murphy, Diget, Granny, Marvin Leonardo Raxtun
- Director: Darren Aronofsky
awards
- Nominations: Golden Globe Awards (1)
- Nominee: Golden Globe Awards, Best Original Score, 2006, Clint Mansell
