F. Scott Fitzgerald, author who created the infamous Gatsby, also wrote this charmingly odd tale of Benjamin Button. The screenplay is a very loose retelling taking merely the notion of a man living his life backwards.
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It's beautifully filmed in a progression of sepia tones which build into vibrant colors as time passes. Time plays an interesting character, possibly the antagonist, as the clock builder loses his son "too young" in the war and eventually takes his own life. He intentionally builds his clock to run backwards as a memento to his dream that time would allow him to have his son back. The clock's life mirror's our hero's, running backward making a statement, which was??... How very Merlin.
Filmmakers did a nice job of providing visual reminders of the age Benjamin would be at each stage, usually with his excellent counterpart, played in large part by Cate Blanchett.
Her performance is astounding - she's ageless. It's shocking, really. My favorite scene comes in an odd sequence showing that Blanchett is doomed by a set of events, which would have changed had one element veered. This is displayed in scenario so beautifully by the director. It felt a bit Amelie. I loved it. I didn't love the outcome of this desperate sequence. (Spoiler...)
How could he leave?
Even if he didn't. She was stubborn, in pain, alone...what a horrid recovery time that would have been. Hopeless. Sad.
Another disappointing element in this film was that love is yet again portrayed as merely physical. The film was FAR too sexual. Old in body/ young in mind doesn't equal frequent brothel visits. Developing a friendship between two lonely people doesn't have to end up in a raucous affair with a married woman. Relationships do not have to be throw-away. Over all, Button's relationships leave all parties unsatisfied and terribly lonely, including the illusive one created through letters he leaves to his own daughter. Blanchett's character is lovely until she throws herself into the wild, wilful, and very permiscuous life behind the stage. Suddenly, she doesn't seem the prize she once was. They are only able to share a short time when their lives "meet in the middle."
Wait. Admittedly, The Way We Were is a guilty pleasure film and, yes, I own it. It's brilliant. So, I absolutely appreciated the overly obvious nods to that film - the Redford-esque sailing scenes, the life on a mattress - costumes, era, etc. Beautiful. Noteworthy. However, again too sexual. Need we constantly be reminded that Hollywood thinks that sex is love. Is there no deeper thought in the minds of screenwriters? I need to know.
Julia Ormond, perfect choice for the daughter of this odd pair, flawlessly emotes on her single set within the hospital room. There we catch the last moments of the woman who grew with and loved Benjamin. An aged Cate Blanchett tells the sad story reluctantly as her last act. So much sorrow blends with depth of secret remembrance in these scenes. They are precious, though rough to watch. Grief plays into the curiosity that they are attempting to build throughout the framed narrative.
I'm grateful for the intermittent "storm" reminders. Storms also provide metaphoric markers as they consistently follow Benjamin Button through his life.So, this film creates this very "curious" tale which leaves us pondering life, yes. It's also beautifully filmed and intriguing. I appreciated the times with the elderly in the home - great twist on Fitzgerald's tale. Each person adding a glimpse at how to appreciate life and the people in it as it's lived. Comic relief comes throughout from the guy who was struck by lightning 7 times - each time captured in black and white like a silent film. Death is a sad reality of life. Interesting theme to capitalize on. Religious themes are touched on, but not positively as Button's life continues.
Benjamin Button lives a full life. He certainly experiences life, but he regretfully doesn't seem to learn anything from his experiences. He just has them. In this way, he's childlike, and selfish. I don't know. Maybe I was expecting more. I wanted him to learn and grow from his unique life. The film emphasizes sameness in life - beginning to end. We end as we begin - in diapers. I missed the hope, the joy of learning from experience. In
Button, I saw a life lived in selfishness and loneliness. I'm left with nothing to hold onto, except that frivolous hint of academy nods. Sad.
