Directed by: David Fincher
Written by: Eric Roth, Robin Swicord
Starring: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton
Runtime: 2 hours and 46 minutes
Logline: The movie tells the story of Benjamin Button; a man whose life begins with him aging backwards. He is born an old man, and dies as a small baby.
Some people venture to art museums to see a cherished piece of art by some renowned artist. They check out displays from Picasso, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Dali, etc… I feel like there’s this notion that art can only be seen in specific and logicalforms and I don’t think that’s true.
What I do know and what I concretely feel is that art, in any arrangement or display, tells a story; there’s meaning and truth behind whatever it is you’re looking at.
I view lots of movies that I consider to be “moving art”. Visually and graphically, certain motion pictures are stunning. When you combine story with an exquisite backdrop, emotional connections and parallels are established between the viewer, the story and the characters. The takeaway is more than visceral.
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON reaches me on so many levels.
For starters, I’m incredibly drawn to the story. Within this supernatural tale, there are so many important themes I find relevant to my life. So in addition to being attached to the narrative, the production design (the overall look of the movie) is beautiful. This is art!
There’s a captivating love element that’s presented in THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON. It’s beautiful and tragic. It’s real and raw. It’s the kind of love I yearn for. Nothing perfect, however, something that’s worth waiting for.
Daisy (Cate Blanchette) and Benjanmin (Brad Pitt) have one of the most authentic love affairs I’ve ever seen on screen. There’s no Hollywood ending here, which is why I find it so tangible. It’s clear their connection is real from the get-go, but their relationship does not begin and exist until the timing strikes. Timing is everything.
I try to focus on that element in my own life. When the timing is right, everything will work out. In order to see that through you need a tremendous amount of patience. Sometimes I yearn for instant gratification. It would feel so right in the moment, but not so much right for my future. With that being said though, I want some of my life questions answered. When will I fall in love? Will someone ever love me? Will I find an occupation that truly makes me happy? When will my timing strike?
Another motif I wish to ponder is this idea of something good lasting? Sometimes when things in my life actually go right, I think, this is dumb luck, this will not last forever. I contemplate that life in general is hard work. You need to work hard to get yourself through the bad, and work even harder to keep the good, staying good.
There’s a line in the movie where Benjamin advises his daughter on the following.
For whatever it’s worth it’s never too late or in my case too early to be who you want to be. There’s no time limit. Start whenever you want. You can change or stay the same. There are no rules to this thing. You can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life that you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.
I mediate to these words. As I mull them over, I feel my skin rise. Will I have the strength to get through the bad, to work for the good and to live a life I am proud of? Is it a combination of hard work and right timing? What are my rules?
I now want to tie everything back to my opening paragraph of this post, because in life and in art, there are “no rules to this thing”.
Any art form draws a kind of sensation. In the instance of THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, my passion and sentiment is not necessary logical. It needs to be peeled, layer by layer. With this film, I begin with story; beginning, middle and then the end. Thenceforth, I study the characters. I draw congruencies and inconsistences to my own life. And irrevocably, as a participating audience member, I look at this voyeuristically; I match the story with the various colors seen on screen, the shadows to the character’s behaviors, the costume design and the makeup to different actions that take place etc…
Yoga Pose: Corpse Pose {Savanna} to Fetal Pose — this evokes the idea of death and rebirth.