Thursday 19 February 2009

The Beauty Of The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button




In a not so nutshell, the story is told when the elderly Daisy (Cate Blanchett) is on her deathbed with her daughter Caroline (Julia Ormond) in a New Orleans hospital as Hurricane Katrina is about to make her mark in August 2005.

Daisy tells the story of a blind clockmaker named Gateau (Elias Koteas), who was commissioned to create a clock to hang in the New Orleans train station. After receiving news of his son's death in World War I, he continued work on his clock, but intentionally designed it to run backward, in the hope that it would bring back those who died in the war. After her cryptic story, Daisy asks Caroline to read aloud from a diary containing photographs and postcards written by Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt). Caroline begins to read as the story transitions to Benjamin's narration.

On November 11, 1918, just as the people of New Orleans are celebrating the end of World War I, a baby boy is born with the appearance and physical maladies of an elderly man. The mother of the baby dies shortly after giving birth, and the father, Thomas Button, takes the baby and abandons him on the porch of a nursing home. Queenie (Taraji P. Henson) and Tizzy (Mahershalalhashbaz Ali), a couple who work at the nursing home, find the baby. Queenie, who is unable to conceive, decides to take the baby in as her own, against Tizzy's wishes. She names the baby Benjamin.

As you watch Benjamin getting younger, and everyone around him getting older, it’s amazing to see how one would live if they were older and had a second chance. His character is so sweet you instantly warm to his lightness.

Despite Pitt’s and Blanchett’s incredible acting ability, their characters were incredibly in love at one point of the film, but couldn’t be together as she was getting older and him younger.
It really hits home how important it is to make the most of your life, be it love lots, laugh lots and do whatever it is that makes you truly happy as when quoted in the film “nothing lasts forever”. This is not me having a sentimental moment, but for you to either see the film as I’m not saying its life changing but makes you think. Especially following the characters Benjamin meets along the way and how he describes each and every one and the affect they’ve had on him. Be it the Irish sailor who sees himself as an artist or the woman who took Benjamin under her wing he sees as his mother.

It’s been nominated for 13 Academy Awards and 11 British Academy of Film and Television Awards including best director and best film.

I don’t want to go into a lot of detail about the film as I really would love everyone to see it, as it truly is a worth while watch and will make you feel a whole lot more appreciative of life, if not for that but Pitt and Blanchett are both amazing actors as well as beautiful to watch.

No comments:

Post a Comment