I am curious elderly

Rating: 7/10 (22 July 2010)

"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" left me with mixed impressions. Brad Pitt's role as a man aging in reverse poses the questions of mortality and lost love. I got the feeling that the idea of Benjamin's approaching his eventual passing mirrored the hospital scenes as Hurricane Katrina bears down on New Orleans, leading to the destruction of the Crescent City and the end of its festive reputation. The idea that Benjamin starts out looking old, rejuvenates to the point of looking middle-aged, and ends up looking like a baby makes me think of something else. There's a certain period of his life where Benjamin can lead a normal existence, due to looking his age. Meanwhile, he has to spend both his youth and old age in nursing homes. He ends exactly as he started. Maybe the implication is that old age is, in a way, a return to childhood.
As for the story itself, I guess that it didn't impress me as much as it could have, just since it seemed similar to "Forrest Gump" and "The World According to Garp", and also "Youth without Youth", about an elderly man who gets struck by lightning and starts aging backwards.
Overall, I recommend the movie, although it's not one that I would have thought to nominate for Best Picture. Also starring Cate Blanchett, Taraji Henson, Julia Ormond, Jason Flemyng, Mahershalalhashbaz Ali, Jared Harris, Elias Koteas and Tilda Swinton.