The Curious Case Of A Great Movie

This was an odd weekend for us. I had spent the last part of the last week working from home and my boyfriend was on vacation, so we got to spend a lot of time together. To end a great weekend, we decided to go see a movie, and since we've both been wanting to see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, we decided to make the trek to the theater on Sunday and finally make the three hour commitment.

To say that I was swept away into the story of Benjamin Button's backward life is an understatement. The story was interesting and one I'm sure we've all thought about before, at least I know I have. I remember talking to my friends about that in high school many times, trying to figure out if it'd be a good thing or not. But overall, the story was just a servant to the constant stream of imagery.

Every scene was detailed and painted on to the screen in a way that evoked the exact emotion of the moment, whether it be desperation or joy or love or lust, it was all beautifully displayed. One scene in particular took me by complete surprise and I can't get it out of my head. Daisy (Cate Blanchet's character) is strolling along with Benjamin (Brad Pitt) when she jumps up on a wall and begins dancing. In the background, there is a fog rising giving way to a few street lights and the ambient sound of New Orleans style jazz flows through the air. As she dances, you can sense there is more to her moves than just showing off; she's making a statement to Benjamin as the moon highlights her silhouette. While my words may not give the scene justice, it (as well as many others) stand out in my mind as excellent examples of the movies evocative imagery.

The screenplay is loosely based on an F. Scott Fitzgerald short story, which shows through in that same imagery. While Fitzgerald's stories are often encumbered by imagery and symbolism, Benjamin Button finds a nice balance between over-using symbols and accentuating images to tell the story.

I really can't say enough about this movie. For me, image and presentation in films is key, which can be evidenced in that movies like Big Fish are in my top five favorites. If you haven't seen The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, I'd strongly recommend it.