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A Complete Solution to The Fountain (Warning: Spoilers) by the-devil-boy Mon Jun 14 2010 22:59:00
IMDb member since July 2007 Flag | Reply |

Post Edited: Tue Jun 15 2010 23:53:28 I cant think of a film thats more visually beautiful and conceptually challenging than this. It took me three weeks of analysis and multiple careful viewings to resolve all of the questions I had about it. For starters, its clear that The Fountain is a cinematic puzzle. Aronofsky stated this in an interview, he said that the film is like a Rubiks Cube there are many permutations, but ultimately theres only one complete and correct solution. But I think he was too close to the solution, because its so incredibly difficult to figure out the hidden meaning, that almost nobody seems to have accomplished this. And this is probably why hes talking about reworking the film and re-releasing it some years down the line I think he wanted more people to be able to see it the way he meant it. So heres the basic outline of what happened in the film, and what it means. Its important to bear in mind that if any component of the film doesnt fit with the interpretation, then the interpretation is wrong. And dont be misled by the graphic novel its a different version of the story and so it cant help us figure out the film. The story that Izzi wrote for Tommy, which she called The Fountain, is a work of fiction that she came up with to send her obsessed husband a message about the ultimate futility of seeking immortality in this life. Tomas the Conquistador is how Izzi sees her valiant though single-minded husband. At the end of Chapter 11 of her book, we find Tomas the Conquistador about to be killed at the hands of the Mayan priest. If you study the frame by frame of the book youll see this to be true. The present day story of Tommy and Izzi is real, which, thankfully, few people dispute. But what really confuses a lot of people is the fact that at the very end of the film, we see a second version of events in this version, Tommy goes after Izzi and catches up with her in the first snow. So naturally the question arises which version actually- happened? The answer is both, which well get back to shortly. The future Tom is also real, which most people seem to have big problems with, which is sad. Aronofsky mentioned in an interview that he discovered self-sustaining eco-spheres as part of some NASA program, and he based Toms bubble ship on that idea. You have to ignore a lot of obvious facts to conclude that the future Tom in the space sphere isnt real. You have to ignore the glaring fact that Tommy discovered an immortality drug while striving to save Izzi, and the fact that he told his boss and his co-workers that they were out to defeat death. And you have to ignore the rings on his arms which measure the chasm of centuries between Izzis death and Toms journey through space. And youd also have to ignore the visual language of the film, which shows that the future scenes are the present and the events in 2000ish are future Toms memories. So Tom in space is the immortal Tommy whose bittersweet conquest of death has actually prevented him from joining his beloved wife in death, a conundrum which torments him. Thus, his quest to the dying star Xibalba, so he can be reunited with his wife by dying at the nebula that she thought of as a metaphor for rebirth through death, death as an act of creation. So all of thats pretty clear, up until the last 15 minutes or so, when so many seemingly irreconcilable things happen in all three timelines that most people just get lost and frustrated, and settle for the first crappy explanation that comes to mind (which usually entails reducing the entire future timeline to a dream or metaphor which doesnt actually make any sense). But if we take the final scenes one at a time, they all actually converge on a fantastic and deeply satisfying, if fairly far-out there, solution. That shouldn't put anyone off, though, because Aronofsky calls this film 'a psychedelic fairy tale.' So the first real shocker, aside from Izzis ghost haunting Tom and generally being cryptic, happens when Tom finally accepts his own death and Izzis admonition to finish it. Suddenly were back at the pivotal moment when Izzi asked Tommy out to the first snow except this time, we see a moment of realization pass over his face, and he goes after her. Wtf, right? What just happened? Heres what happened: The future Tom, whose consciousness is finally complete and enlightened, has sent a kind of message back in time, to himself, to correct the blunder of letting her go off on her own during the first snow. Enlightened Tom has created an alternate timeline, which closes the circle between the moment he screwed up and let Izzi go, and his death at Xibalba. Aronofsky is conveying a marvelous idea here that our consciousness is timeless, and he shows us the consequences of this in practice through this film. More proof of this comes in the subsequent scenes, which well get to shortly. Next we see future Tom break free of the bubble ship to be enclosed by his own mini-sphere, where he imagines the end of Izzis book, 'The Fountain.' The Chapter 12 he imagines reveals the divine aspect of Tomas (which is in fact his future, enlightened self) appearing to the Mayan priest, who then surrenders his life to this vision. The priest sees the divine in Tomas, even though Tomas cant see it in himself. Regardless, Tomas the Conquistador fulfills his ultimate divine destiny to sacrifice himself to the cycle of life its not the immortality he bargained for, but its precisely what the real enlightened Tom is up to in the future timeline, so their ends are the same even if their intents are different. Therefore, completing the circle of his destiny, Tom regains the ring he lost when he went astray by fearing the loss of Izzi, rather than embracing his love of his wife by joining her in the first snow.

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Reunited with his ring, death now reunites him with Izzis spirit. And as his ashes mix with Xibalbas to flow over the Izzi tree, their deaths bring her tree back to life in a moment of foreshadowing, revealing that they will indeed both live together forever through the cycle of death/rebirth. Then we get to see some more of the alternate timeline that Tom created through his enlightenment in the future. We see Izzi pick the seed and hand it to Tommy, and we see Tommy plant the seed over her grave. We see that this Tommy never lost his ring, because he never chose to work on Donovan rather than go traipsing in the first snow with Izzi. We see Tommy say goodbye to Izzi at her grave, because -this- Tommy has the benefit of the insight of his enlightened self in a future alternate reality, and we see Xibalba explode in the future, but from the vantage point of Izzis grave, because this Tommy never goes to Xibalbahe found his peace with Izzis death while on Earth. Well, those are the broad strokes anyway. Not an easy puzzle to solve, by any means. But the idea that our future state of enlightened consciousness can retroactively alter our reality in the presentthat just made all the puzzling worthwhile to me. I hope you enjoyed my analysis, and that for some of you, it enriches your experience of the film. "The observer is the observed." - Jiddu Krishnamurti

Re: A Complete Solution to The Fountain (Warning: Spoilers) by Ronald-Burgundy Tue Jun 15 2010 03:51:56
IMDb member since June 2010 Flag | Reply |

Really enjoyed that interpretation, mate. Signed up specifically to say thanks.

Re: A Complete Solution to The Fountain (Warning: Spoilers) by the-devil-boy Tue Jun 15 2010 19:16:38
IMDb member since July 2007 Flag | Reply |

That was damn descent of you, Ronald. I'm glad I could contribute something to your enjoyment of this uniquely haunting film. "The observer is the observed." - Jiddu Krishnamurti

Re: A Complete Solution to The Fountain (Warning: Spoilers) by gweller-3 Thu Jun 17 2010 12:16:58
IMDb member since January 2007 Flag | Reply |

I can't respond to the main thread for some reason. I liked your interpretation and it is pretty close to mine, however I have a problem with this part of your conclusion: "The future Tom, whose consciousness is finally complete and enlightened, has sent a kind of message back in time, to himself, to correct the blunder of letting her go off on her own during the first snow." If Tom was so advanced and powerful he would no longer need the tree to sustain his life. It's possible in the context of the story, but I somehow doubt Tom would have the energy to change time but not have the energy to restore the tree.

Re: A Complete Solution to The Fountain (Warning: Spoilers) by the-devil-boy Thu Jun 17 2010 18:20:19
IMDb member since July 2007 Flag | Reply |

Post Edited: Thu Jun 17 2010 18:39:24 I probably couldve been more clear about that part. Tom in the space bubble doesnt achieve enlightenment until his final conversation with Izzi / Queen Isabel when he smiles and says Im going to die, at which point his fear and frustration about death has been suddenly transformed into understanding, acceptance, and even joy. Its that understanding that changes his mind at the crucial instant in the past when he had turned left, instead of turning right and catching up with Izzi in the snow. Aronofsky seems to be saying that some states of consciousness, like love, and the understanding of death, transcend time. Note that this entails no power other than the power over ones own consciousness. That, to me, is the elegant beauty of the idea it imbues something we all take for granted, our own inner being, with a secret capacity (similar to the many-worlds theory of physics, where alternate universes exist for every choice that we may make at any given instant). To endow Tom with impossible God-like powers wouldve been trite and insulting. Even Buddha and Christ had to eat to sustain their physical bodies. And resurrecting the Izzi tree wouldve completely negated the meaning of the story that death is an essential aspect of the cyclical and eternal fountain of life. "The observer is the observed." - Jiddu Krishnamurti

Re: A Complete Solution to The Fountain (Warning: Spoilers) by arctic_tardis Fri Nov 5 2010 11:42:37
IMDb member since November 2005 Flag | Reply |

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I like your interpretation, and i pretty much agree with it all. I think Quantum theory suggest that a lot of what you purpose about consciousness transcending time is in fact possible. I've held a very strong belief for a long time that this is possible, but it also could be less about literal time travel and more about simply rewriting your own memories, after all, all that we can see touch and hear is stored in our mind. We wouldn't literally need to travel through time to change our perception of it, only change our own memories. And of course if our minds and memories define our existence, then really there is no difference...especially if there are no other consciouss humans around to disagree with your new 'memories' Damn I love it, the potential of the human mind is just over whelming, well nearly, i dont think our own mind power can overwhelm itself, but i hope you get my point...peace out. --Scientists are saying the future is going to be far more futuristic then they originally predicted

Re: A Complete Solution to The Fountain (Warning: Spoilers) by Tossene_Mikael Wed Jun 16 2010 13:15:23
IMDb member since October 2005 Flag | Reply |

Loved this analysis !

Re: A Complete Solution to The Fountain (Warning: Spoilers) by daruis-the-great Wed Jun 16 2010 21:21:26
IMDb member since April 2008 Flag | Reply |

This was an excellent analysis, and truly without any recognizable faults. Previously, upon my initial viewing, I had thought that the future Tom was a figment of the 2000 Tom's imagination and the adventures of Tomas were how the 2000 decided to finish his book. So, the true and sole real ending would have been Tom walking away from Izzy's grave while the others would have been how he felt about it. Obviously, this had lead to many discrepancies between what I thought had happened and what actually did. And I was simply unconvinced of my initial theory. Upon my second viewing, I developed a similar thought that the future Tom was in fact also real and he was reminiscing of his past and the death of Izzy. However, I had no idea how to connect the ending of future tom with the other endings. And upon reading your spectacular analysis and the idea of a creation of a parallel universe, I believe you have completely nailed down every detail of that movie. I congratulate you for your acute analytical skills, and for having spared me of at least 5 more viewings of the movie. "I'll be back." - Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator

Re: A Complete Solution to The Fountain (Warning: Spoilers) by alonos Thu Jun 17 2010 08:45:06
IMDb member since March 2004 Flag | Reply |

I Liked your interpretation..but for me, Izzy is waiting for Tom to die and to share the eternity in Xibalba(Heaven or whatever you call it)...and for me the last few moments of the "alternate story" of Tommy and Izzy is what he wished he coulda have done, to pass more time with her in the final days.

Re: A Complete Solution to The Fountain (Warning: Spoilers) by the-devil-boy Thu Jun 17 2010 18:35:53
IMDb member since July 2007 Flag | Reply |

Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it alonos. So here's my question for you: if the alternate timeline is simply Toms wishful thinking (which I think falls into the same category as dreaming and metaphor), then how do you explain that when Xibalba explodes from the POV of Izzis grave, that theres no-one there to see it? In other words, how and why would Tom be wishfully imagining that scene without his own presence in it? Because if you look closely, Tom fades away before the star explodes, which makes that the only shot in the film where Tom/Tommy isnt present. In my opinion, Aronofsky put that shot in the film to establish that the alternate timeline is real in the objective sense. "The observer is the observed." - Jiddu Krishnamurti

Re: A Complete Solution to The Fountain (Warning: Spoilers) by alonos Thu Jun 17 2010 19:53:21
IMDb member since March 2004 Flag | Reply |

I have to watch it again...so I can give you a more fresh answer... But the last 20 minutes for me were the turning point..so many climaxes..

Re: A Complete Solution to The Fountain (Warning: Spoilers) by marchingman Fri Jun 18 2010 08:32:30

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IMDb member since December 2004 Flag | Reply |

Thank you, devil_boy. I've watched this film through about 10 times and each time I interpreted the ending differently. Yet no matter how I interpreted it, there were parts I couldn't reconcile. And I will admit that I always thought that at least one of the time periods wasn't real simply because there were things that just seemed out of place when I tried to look at all three periods as being real. But now I see that's because I hadn't considered the idea of the consciousness transcending time (which you almost think would be obvious considering this is a transcendental film). Thus, I had never considered the idea of the enlightened future Tom being able to "alter" the consciousness of/affect the past versions of himself. This is also the same reason I could never fully explain how future Tom "appeared" in Tomas in the past life. This also clears up another thought for me: Tommy is trying throughout the film to "transcend" death by reaching immortality. Well, really, once you "transcend" death, time basically becomes irrelevant, and thus you have transcended time as well. Therefore, it is almost logical to think that once Tommy reaches his enlightened, transcended state he is able to "communicate" through time to his past self, because time is no longer a barrier. I watched this again last night keeping in mind what you've written here, and it definitely does bring things full circle. Thanks again! The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering.

Re: A Complete Solution to The Fountain (Warning: Spoilers) by KennyOMG Wed Jun 23 2010 10:29:53
IMDb member since October 2007 Flag | Reply |

"In other words, how and why would Tom be wishfully imagining that scene without his own presence in it?" Do you "wishfully imagine" love? Hate? Grief? Yes? If not, then how would you chose to represent these emotions and how one goes through them in their heads on film? The thing the "future is real" people fail to grasp is that it is not a conscious mental process on Tom's part. Those are a bunch of emotions and states of mind. You could convey them with a voice-over but that's such a cheapo cop-out that it would ruin the whole piece. I truly believe Arronofsky wanted to make a visual representation of a grieving persons mind - and he did it. Anyway even though I would agree to disagree with you, unfortunately you are stupidly arrogant with calling other people's opinion about the film "crappy". Also you explanation might make sense unless you consider the sheer amount of symbolic stuff in this movie - there's much more of these than what you could explain by coincidence. It has to be deliberate. If it is deliberate then it must point you towards the meaning. A meaning that doesn't match your theory. But, unlike you, I'm not upset if I'm wrong, and won't call your version names. The experience is yours, what you do with it is up to you.

Re: A Complete Solution to The Fountain (Warning: Spoilers) by DevouringSickness Wed Jun 23 2010 13:05:48
IMDb member since June 2005 Flag | Reply |

Post Edited: Wed Jun 23 2010 13:07:06 "Tom's voyage begins in the vast loneliness of black space. He rises up into the body of a swirling golden nebulae, where memories of his life with Izzi haunt him. Eventually, he comes to understand his purpose as he breaks out of the celestial cloud and into the blinding truth of Xibalba, a dying white star." -Darren Aronofsky. I do agree that calling other people's theories "crappy" is a bit much.

Re: A Complete Solution to The Fountain (Warning: Spoilers) by tsvoxbox Mon Oct 31 2011 02:49:42
IMDb member since November 2004 Flag | Reply |

Doesn't this bring up a pretty major time-change/traveling paradox? If i'm understanding your analysis correctly. you're saying that because he sent a message back in time, Tommy made peace with death, so therefore he never imbued himself with immortality juice to help her (which contradicts his wish to be with his dead Treewife, as you said). So then he didn't stay with the tree all those thousands of years. Which means he DIDN'T send back a message (cos he was never there to send it back), which means Tommy DIDN'T come to terms with Izzy's death, and thus creates a contradicting, ever cycling conundrum of time travel. thoughts?

Re: A Complete Solution to The Fountain (Warning: Spoilers) by the-devil-boy Thu Nov 3 2011 12:12:29
IMDb member since July 2007 Flag | Reply |

If you spend a fairly absurd number of hours analyzing the film (as I have, and as some others here

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have as well), youll recognize that Aronofsky utilizes the symbol of the circle to reconcile the seemingly paradoxical problem of a change to the timeline. Because on several occasions the director alludes to the circularity of time, which indicates that all times are cyclically-interconnected. For example, Tom *becomes* First Father at the end of the film (which in turn is the *beginning* of another universewhich is either literally or figuratively the beginning of *this* universe its as if Tom hit a reset button to start the sequence of time all over again). Also, Tommys vision of Xibalba in the lab when he looks up is another indicator that past, present, and future all co-exist somehow (in other words, theyre all just points on one interconnected ring of causality). And much like Donnie Darko, most of The Fountain takes place in a tangent universe which is created when Tommy screws up and lets Izzi go walk in the snow alone, rather than running after her. And that tangent universe can only close (i.e., complete its epicycle), when future Tom fixes the moment where he went astray from his love for Izzi and chased after immortality instead. So actually he restored the original timeline by going back and correcting his mistake. But really, the idea of a temporal paradox is just the product of our limited, linear understanding of time. If time can only move along a straight line, then yes, the principle of causality precludes the possibility of time travel. But if theres more than one dimension of time, a chain of events can circle back upon itself and lead to events that would *appear* to be paradoxical from a one-timedimension point of view, but would be perfectly logical from a higher two-time-dimension perspective. For example, with a 2 (or more) time dimension model of reality, you could invent a time machine and go back and kill your grandfather before he met your grandmother, and there would be no paradox because both things actually happened - but they happened in two different points on the two-dimensional surface of time. It would be no more paradoxical than visiting your grandfather, then driving around the block and killing him where you had just visited him. All of this is fairly mundane in a model with 2+ dimensions of time because according to General Relativity time is equivalent to space by a proportionality factor we call C (or the speed of light). Heres an interesting article that touches on the concept of a 2T physics theory: A Two-Time Universe? Physicist Explores How Second Dimension of Time Could Unify Physics Laws http://www.physorg.com/news98468776.html The idea of an additional time dimension (which operates perpendicular to the linear time that we all know and love) is actually an ancient concept in esoteric mysticism, which uses the word time to mean the linear sequence of events and the word eternity to refer to the tangential dimension of time (some say that the cross is a symbol of this idea, but Christian mysticism is outside of my expertise). In any case, I think that with additional viewings you may see that Aronofsky presents a model of reality where consciousness transcends time, and thats the really interesting idea, imo.

The observer is the observed. - Jiddu Krishnamurti

Re: A Complete Solution to The Fountain (Warning: Spoilers) by the_vendette101 Wed Nov 17 2010 04:56:03
IMDb member since October 2004 Flag | Reply |

I agree with Alanos that is how I interpreted, although the OP has very analysis. I just didnt think it was a complicated as that.

Re: A Complete Solution to The Fountain (Warning: Spoilers) by smlak Sat Jun 19 2010 02:45:46
IMDb member since September 2004 Flag | Reply |

Post Edited: Sat Jun 19 2010 02:57:40 I like to see the movie as a story of enlightenment on three levels: body, mind and spirit. The medieval time corresponds to the body and it's final enlightenment or fulfillment is the body becoming one with the earth or Gaia. And thus also in a way, reaching immortality. The modern time corresponds to the mind and it's final enlightenment and fulfillment is the acceptance of death, and realizing that everything is impermanent. The future bubble time corresponds to the spirit and it's final enlightenment and fulfillment is becoming one with the All, or the Kosmos (the interconnected realm of body, mind and spirit.) That is the scene in which he travels to the light/xibalba in a lotus position. For the mind (2) to become enlightened, the body (1) has to be illumined, and for the spirit (3) to be enlightened, the mind (1,2)) has to let go. All together Tommy's enlightenment happens through multiple (3) reincarnations (every reincarnation has some remains of the previous one, like the ring) and stages, all of which are guided by his savior/guru, Izzi in different forms (A queen, a wife and an ethereal guide(?)). And it's funny that at every stage the final enlightenment (which the three of life/Xibalba symbolizes) happens in a complete opposite way of which Tommy was seeking it. He was running away from death, trying to achieve immortality, but every time it was actually the letting go of that idea that finally freed him, thanks to the gentle guidance and initiation of Izzi. And which is the way that enlightenment is usually described to happen outside the movie as well.

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All in all, this is barely scratching the surface as the movie is incredibly layered and complex. But it's a great fun seeing it unfolding each time I watch it. And it's also exciting to see how different people interpret it in a different way.

Re: A Complete Solution to The Fountain (Warning: Spoilers) by galoisdream Mon Jun 21 2010 10:09:25
IMDb member since December 2006 Flag | Reply |

I also am making my first post ever just to thank you for your perfect explanation to fountain.... I'm talking about the post that talks about enlightenment in three levels (body,mind and spirit) Well Done...

Re: A Complete Solution to The Fountain (Warning: Spoilers) by celestialnavigator Tue Jul 13 2010 20:17:32
IMDb member since December 2003 Flag | Reply |

A most beautiful interpretation, smlak. Thank you. Truly one of the most moving cinematic experiences I've ever had. It's meditation on film. My father recently died and this movie gave me solace, peace.

Re: A Complete Solution to The Fountain (Warning: Spoilers) by Necrometer Tue Oct 30 2012 13:19:49
IMDb member since July 2005 Flag | Reply |

Great post, smlak. One could similarly replace the body/mind/spirit of your interpretation with id/ego/superego.

HAIL TO THE CHIMP! http://i35.tinypic.com/1zoxa4m.gif

Re: A Complete Solution to The Fountain (Warning: Spoilers) by gopalnn Mon Jun 21 2010 09:16:42
IMDb member since October 2000 Flag | Reply |

I am now "truly enlightened" - thanks to your solution. I actually went through a 20-minute sign-up verification process with IMDB just so I could put in my first post. Wow! I saw this movie about 10- days ago for the first time and I have watched it 5-6 times since then because it affected me so much and I have been seeking answers to many of the "what the heck does that mean?" scenes in the movie. I have also scoured the Internet looking for more meaning behind the scenes. Kudos to your analysis. After reading your explanation, I have finally found it to be the most meaningful and understandable solutions to this complex piece of art. Even with multiple viewings, this movie still amazes me. Your thorough analysis brings all of it home. Great job. Now, I need to watch it again now that I have "been enlightened" Thanks, Paul

Re: A Complete Solution to The Fountain (Warning: Spoilers) by the-devil-boy Wed Jun 23 2010 22:07:08
IMDb member since July 2007 Flag | Reply |

That's exactly the response I was hoping for, Paul - I did the same thing that you did...scouring the internet for a better understanding of the film, trying to find clues to what it all meant. I posted here because I hoped that others like me would come here to find a way to make sense of it. I hope you enjoyed watching it again with this solution in mind - the first time I saw it all the way through with this solution in mind, it was an exhilarating experience. I hope the same is true for you. "The observer is the observed." - Jiddu Krishnamurti

Re: A Complete Solution to The Fountain (Warning: Spoilers) by DarkDestroyer66 Wed Jun 23 2010 20:53:15
IMDb member since March 2007 Flag | Reply |

Great interpretation. However I am afraid to burst your bubble to a different interpretation of a key scene in the movie. At the start of the movie you see Tom in his office and Izzi asking him to come out with him to see the first snow at which point he yells and she walks away. We can all agree that that happens in both "versions" of that event. But you see, it is not two different versions. It is simply one event that happened however at the beginning of the film the middle part of that event is cut out and it just pans over to Tom in the surgery room....let me

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After Tom yells at Izzi she walks off and Tom is about to go after her when he is stopped by one of the lab assistants. We see that in the 1st "version" Tom looks towards Izzi and the exit and then looks back towards the lab and then back at Izzi again.....then it shows Tom in the lab and we all assume that he chose that over Izzi. This is wrong and it is something I easily picked up when I first saw this film in the theater. In the second "version" of this event we see Tom do the same thing: look back toward the lab and then look at Izzi but STOP....at the point where he looks back at Izzi in the beginning it is cut off to the next scene of the movie. In the second "version" after he looks back at Izzi, he runs after her. Simply put, Aronofsky cut short that scene in the beginning of the movie to make it look like Tom chose the lab over Izzi. When it reality, Tom did go after Izzi to consul her and talk with her and then went back to the lab. We just dont see the part where he goes after her in the beginning of the movie. I hope My explanation was easy to follow and please OP I would like a reply to see what you think of my interpretation

Re: A Complete Solution to The Fountain (Warning: Spoilers) by the-devil-boy Wed Jun 23 2010 22:10:20
IMDb member since July 2007 Flag | Reply |

The first time we see Izzi come to Tommys office and ask him out to walk in the first snow, occurs around 00:14:17, after future Tom asks Izzis spirit/ghost to show him how it ends. Tommy refuses to go with her, then starts to chase after her, but he gets stopped by his lab assistant Manny, who compels him to go operate on the monkey Donovan. Tommy watches the door close behind Izzi, and looks down and says dammit, then turns left and heads toward the lab with Manny. Near the end of the film around 01:21:27 the sequence repeats up to the point when Tommys standing there with Manny, watching the door close behind Izzi. Then Tommy has his moment of realization, and instead of looking down and saying dammit, Tommy runs after her without saying a word, and Manny calls out Dr. Creo where are you going? So your interpretation is incorrect, these are clearly two different sequences - alternative versions of Tommy and Izzis timeline.

"The observer is the observed." - Jiddu Krishnamurti

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