The Tree of Life & The Fountain

Yggdrasill

One of my favourite Norse myths is about Yggdrasill. It is the myth of the life Tree and reflects all the beauty of Norse sagas, being also a wonderful symbol of the transience of life. 

The sperm of the end of the word in Nordic mythology lays right in its creation through the existence of the cosmic tree, Yggdrasill. It is an evergreen ash tree of prodigious dimensions, on which the universe is supported and symbolizes the battle between light and dark, the balance and change between constant decay and renewal, and through it universal notions such as life, time and destiny are expressed. 

Yggdrasill has three roots that stretch to three planes of worlds. On the first layer are the worlds Asgard (home of the Aesir gods), Vanaheim (home of the Vanir-lesser gods) and Alfheim (home of the elves). On the second layer is Midgard (home of the humans), Jotunheim(home of the frost giants), Nidavellir (home of the dwarves) and Svartalfheim (home of the dark elves). On the third and lower layer is Hel and Nifelheim, the death worlds. All worlds are dependent on the existence of the life tree, even the death worlds, gods, giants and humans altogether.Beneath it also stands the fountain of wisdom, where Odin sacrificed one of his eyes to drink from and gain his wisdom.

But even Yggdrasill might die. Four stags are eating its leaves and the huge serpent Nidhogg is gnawing its roots incessantly. In result, when Ragnarök approaches, the final battle of the gods, the tree will shiver and maybe even fall, bringing the end of all worlds. 

This notion of Yggdrasill -not as in nordic mythology but as it appears in other theological systems- seems to be behind the story of the cosmic tree in the amazing film "The Fountain" by Darren Aronofsky. 

The Fountain" by Darren Aronofsky.

In this film there are three parallel story lines. In the first-the past, the protagonist is venturing to find the cosmic tree of life in the jungles of the New World for the favour of his queen. In the second- the present, he is struggling to isolate the ingredients of the Tree of Life to save his dying love. And in the last one-the future, he is travelling in space with a tree ,seeking the supernova that will transcend the death of his beloved into life once again. 

In the end, this film is a poem about love, life and death. About the desperation of losing the love of our life and being unable to accept the loss, unable to find rest, peace and finally, closure. 

I believe that this is one of the very few films that capture the agony of copying with mortality and the stages of grief after a loved one's passing. Life is so fragile, so temporary that a Godless life might resemble a hell, at least for me. There must be some reason, a meaning, a purpose, something....

PROMETHEUS- a review

Just finished watching "Prometheus" and I am quite excited...

_SPOILER ALERT_

I am a dedicated fan of the Alien mythology. Although I do not usually enjoy sci-fi movies, Alien has a certain attraction, a "je ne sais quoi". Perhaps it owes it to the strong performance of Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley or the aesthetics of the artist Giger that has been in charge of the visual effects (and won an academy award for it).  Or maybe it appeals to a catastrophological side of me. Or I just enjoy a good pop corn movie... 

That being said, I consider Prometheus more than a decent prequel to the Alien mythology, although I believe that fans would like some more elaboration on the Engineers story line and perhaps a bit less predictability. To be honest, the scene of the crash of the spaceships looked to me flat and awkward on behalf of the characters.  

I am not sure whether the producers intended for so many similarities between the movies but definitely there were moments that Alien scenes popped in my mind although I had no clue of the relevance of the movies. Other than the likeness of death occurrences,( like eel-like creatures crawling inside the hosts and laying eggs that hatched and their acid blood exploding on a face), I couldn't help but notice that the leading role was once more entrusted on a woman, this time Noomi Rapace. And she might not have exhibited the same hardiness of Ripley's character in the last Alien films but reminded the femininity and youth of Sigourney in the first movie along with some fragility.

Additionaly, I could only be content by the presence of Michael Fassbender that is really noticeable in the role of the android David (the android key role is another similarity with Alien).  Charlize Theron however, might have contributed more in the film if she had more space to unfold her character as Meredith Vickers. The same goes for Guy Pierce in the role of Peter Wayland.

Well, I am not a critic to be able to analyse in more extend, but personally I enjoyed the film and I can't wait for the sequel which is said to be in production. Weeee! Gimme more Aliens!!! :P

PS. That Engineers looked a bit like Predators, didn't they?