Early in "The Fountain," writer-director Darren Aronofsky's flatulent dissertation on the benefits of dying, someone says, "Death is the path to awe." Terrorism isn't on the filmmaker's mind, though. Aronofsky wants us to believe in a story about seeking the fountain of youth that covers three incarnations from the days of Spanish conquistadors to the present day and forward to the 26th century.

Subscribe to the Hollywood Reporter and see the entertainment industry from its best angle: the inside looking out. Complete access to real-time news and exclusive analysis that goes behind the scenes from film to television, home video to digital media.

   Subscribe now.