Ordinary Revelations Need an Extraordinary Character

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) - dir. David Fincher - 4,5 stars

Most films are about ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.  On the surface, David Fincher's film appears to be the exact opposite of this formula whereby it tells the story of an extraordinary person in ordinary circumstances.  Benjamin Button, born as an old man, is destined to grow younger as he lives his life.  His curious ailment leads to a curious look on life, people and their ambitions.  Even though the film may seem to be only about this central character, it is all the more so about the ordinary people that Button meets and changes forever throughout his life.

Fincher spans Button's life journey with careful speed, neither too slow nor too fast.  The warm colors and smooth camera movements ensure an intimate setting whereby the viewer can almost experience the sensation of meeting Button face-to-face, although I must admit the pace may not be for everyone given the total running time of 159 minutes.  The well-written script is beautifully interpreted by the talented Cate Blanchett and Brad Pitt, who I must say has surprised me with his rendition of the character.  Pitt may not be as bad of an actor as I take him to be.

There are many theories to take away from this film, which in itself is an achievement.  But the one that stood out the most for me is that each and every one of us being special makes us all ordinary in comparison.  But that doesn't matter.  Life is a random, interconnected spiral where we die as we are born and have very little real control over anything.  The one thing that matters and is in our hands is to do what makes us happy given our own cases.  In our globalised world where now individuals are racing against each other to be more 'special' than the other, unfortunately it takes an extraordinary character to remind us of this simple fact.