Darren Aronofsky makes films that are hard to watch. In Requiem for a Dream, his graphic portrayal of four lives destroyed by drug addiction was almost painful, though ultimately rewarding. The Fountain, on the other hand, is painful in its cheesiness. But for those who can overlook this flaw, the film is inventively told and strangely compelling.

The Fountain is comprised of three narratives spanning 1,000 years. The movie begins in the late 15th century as “Thomas” (Hugh Jackman), the Spanish Conquistador, searches for the “Tree of Life” at the behest of Queen Isabelle (Rachel Weisz). Fast forward 500 years to the present day: “Tommy” is a surgeon at an experimental laboratory, searching for the cure to a terminal disease that is consuming his wife, Izzi. In another 500 years we find “Tom” living in a bubble floating through a distant nebula, constantly haunted by the ghost of 21st-century Izzi.

That’s right. Floating bubbles inhabited by ghosts — that’s where the cheesy part comes in. At first glance, this future narrative seems to ruin an otherwise traditional story, that of Tommy and his dying wife, contrasted with parallel scenes from Izzi’s manuscript about a Spanish Conquistador. But the merit of The Fountain isn’t in its story so much as in how the story is told. Those who look past the cheesiness of the future narrative will then find an ensemble of stories rich with symbolism, double meanings, parallel structures and philosophical questions, most of which rely on the interplay of all three narratives.

In many ways, The Fountain feels like another Weisz movie, The Constant Gardener — an underdeveloped character coping with the death of his equally underdeveloped wife. But unlike Gardener, The Fountain doesn’t rely on character development to further the plot. The characters feel more like symbols for basic elements of the human persona. Jackman gives good performances in all three of his characters, playing off a tastefully subdued Weisz. Supporting actress Ellen Burstyn is outstanding as Dr. Lillian Guzetti, Tommy’s friend and boss, who is probably the most complete character in the film.

Audiences will leave the theater talking about this movie — not because it’s confusing, but because it is so well done, so complex and intriguing that it can’t be completely figured out in one sitting. But while The Fountain may have a compelling method of storytelling, its resonance will be determined by whether audiences look back and remember its ingenious narrative, or the image of a shaved Jackman sitting monk-style, hovering through space in a tiny bubble.