For Your Consideration for Best Actor: Hugh Jackman in The Fountain

This is a year of great acting. There are those who went missing from the Oscar race for quite a number of time or what we call "Come Back-ers" (see Eddie Murphy, Alan Arkin); there are those who will be receiving their very first Oscar Nods if things go their way (See Ryan Gosling, Jackie Earle Haley); there are the perennial nominees but still not a winner (See Leonardo diCaprio, Kate Winslet) and there is the actor/actress that surprise you that they have this level of depth in their acting skills. This is where Hugh Jackman's: Tomas, Tommy, Dr. Tom Creo; whose desperate multi-layered performance, which gave out the best in Wolverine.

I had very high expectations for The Fountain, since it is Aronofsky's work after all. Having loved Requiem for a Dream and Pi profusely, I came in the theater knowing that I am watching a very good film. And when I came out still feeling that way and even more, thanks to Hugh Jackman's presence in the Fountain. In The Fountain, Jackman, plays three roles: Tomas, Tommy, and Doctor Tom Creo. All of them trying to do one thing, and that is to save Izzi (Rachel Weisz) from certain death.Tomas is a revelation.
Who would've thought that Wolverine has this hidden depth in him. Jackman sunk in the character, he made it seem as though we are watching a person actually suffering because he's losing someone he loves. We are kinda used to seeing Jackman portraying a hunk (Scoop) or an object of one's lust (Someone like You, Kate and Leopold) or a blisteringly super hot protagonist (Swordfish, X-Men Trilogy, Van Helsing). Now in this film, he left all the hunky hunkiness aside and instead we see a grieving man. What strikes me is his eyes, they convey everything, the longing, the pain, the desperation.

We are all Tomas-es one way or another.
Jackman's Tomas is present in all of us. We all want to save the one's we love even though we know that we are fighting a losing battle. What we are doing actually is fighting too much and not wanting or at least trying to make the best out of the tiniest time left. Tomas failed to see that Izzi wanted to spend more time with him, instead, he spent his time inside his laboratory trying to find a breakthrough, a cure for Izzi. Though not all of us may have encountered tragic family deaths in our lives, but everyday we are faced with circumstances that would push us. We can interpret it this way: Izzi is our past, and we embrace out past too tightly. Sometimes, as hard at it may seem, letting go is the only way.


This is supposed to be his year.
He is like in a gazillion movies this year, and not to mention the animated films too. His works ranged from good (Scoop) to great (The Prestige) to perfect (The Fountain). If I was a member of the academy I would stop with usual suspects (Will Smith, Peter O'Toole, Forest Whitaker) and take time looking around. They may be surprised that there are greater and far better acting performances this year, and one of them is Hugh Jackman's performance in The Fountain.

Though this may not be one for the history books (Heath Ledger's Ennis del Mar, Richard Farnsworth's Alvin Straight), let it be remembered that this year, Hugh Jackman gave us one of the most subtle heartfelt and probably his career-best performance to date.