BOTTOM
LINE:
A rich, heart-warming
film that takes the unusual premise of a man growing younger and
using it to provide a number of life lessons about making the most
of what you have been given.
THE GOOD:
Director David Fincher has made some very rich and complex
films in his career, many exploring the darker sides of humanity.
With “Curious Case”, he still retains his unique style
but manages to fuse it with a more heart-warming feel without losing
touch with reality which he could easily have done given the quirky
premise of a man born old who grows younger. Many great themes of
life, love and death are covered, particularly the ideas of destiny,
fate and choice. Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt) is abandoned at birth
by his father who thinks he is a monster. He is taken in by a loving
black woman who raises him in her old person's home who are there
to live out their few remaining years. As Benjamin grows, he gains
a unique perspective on life; he learns quickly about the end of
life and what it means to not waste any moments you have been given.
Coupled with his unusual condition which makes him an outcast, Benjamin
develops in to a gentle, non-judgmental character you cannot help
but love. This is no more demonstrated in his relationship with
Daisy (Cate Blanchett) whom he meets early in his life and leads
to a rocky friendship to an eventual loving relationship. Fate continues
to bring them together, and when their respective ages become closer,
they develop a relationship which is full of highs, but is doomed
to end early as their age gap begins to widen again. One brilliantly
constructed scene involves a car accident involving Daisy. Benjamin
re-constructs the incident in his mind, pointing out a number of
very minor events, and if even one of these minor events had not
occurred, she would not have been on the street at the time she
was involved in the accident. In many ways, this scene envelopes
the finer themes of fate that run throughout this film and how life
can take things away from you in a single moment, a lesson which
works for all of us in that we should never take our lives for granted.
Both Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett are perfect in their respective
roles. Pitt delivers a very understated performance that is instantly
loveable given Benjamin's gentle persona. Blanchett creates a complicated
girl who has a very turbulent early life but becomes content and
grounded when she becomes more intimately involved with Benjamin.
The images are absolutely glorious. David Fincher is renowned for
creating vivid, and carefully constructed shots and he does not
disappoint in this movie, with each picture being a movie in itself.
