By: Saeed Janghorban
When a disaster happened in man life we hear a known expression: “I wish, the time gone back”. “The curious Case of Benjamin Button” is a story about human sigh, a sigh after a disaster, which is well known in human life.
A famous watch maker, when lost his only son in war, makes a new watch that work reversely to be a symbol of anti-war. After that a strange baby born, with unnatural body condition. His father, after losing his wife, takes baby to an unknown part of the city and frees him. A black woman (Queenie palyed by Taraji P. Henson), find baby and decides to keep him and call him Benjamin. The prime story of “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” started from here.
This movie is the last work of David Fincher, the young and creative director of Hollywood. The story is a biography of unnatural mankind, Benjamin Button (played by Brad Pitt), that retold by his daughter. The story is a manifestation of man will about the time; how will be good to bring back the time, how will be good if we come back to our childhood. Always I admire Mr. Fincher for his sought style. Mr. Fincher has seven works in his record and in all attempts to rummage one man characteristic in special situation. Horror, Religious, Death, Anarchy, Curiosity, and now Sigh, are characteristics that attract Mr. Fincher. But there is a difference between this film with his other works. In all Fincher’s previous works, story happen in a horror and mystic space, but in his latest film the story go on in a dramatic space with a little mysterious. In my belief ability of Mr. Fincher in horror and mystery genre is more than drama, but he has could get success in his first dramatic work. Robert Zemeckis is a famous director who his interest is the concept of time and Mr. Fincher with his movie arrived to the field of him. I believe that Fincher has the power of making any film, even comedy. We can see his abilities in his seven works.
I like play of actors and actresses especially Brad Pitt’s. Until the middle of film Pitt’s head play with another body, which is the firsts in the history of cinema. Mr. Pitt shows that he can play as a child perfectly, a child who is old. The romance between Benjamin and Daisy (played by Cate Blanchett) shown as well as possible; this shows that Mr. Fincher is able to create perfect romantic spaces. Film structure is as good as other Fincher’s films. The screenplay is not good as his Se7en but is powerful and the movie leaned on it. The screenplay written by Eric Roth, who has famous movies like “Forest Gump”, “Munich” and “Ali”, in his record. Edition and Photography of the film is good. The music is one of the positive points of the film. Alexandre Desplat is faming as a styled musician in the movie industry. He’s atmospheric and semi-new age style is best for directors, who excited to Postmodernism. I pleasured from Mr. Desplat’s “A Girl with Pearl Earrings” and “Queen” and I add them to my great sound track albums archive. In my belief Fincher-Howard Shore partnership was more successful, but Desplat has more ability to create romantic space.
At this film we can not see another Fincher’s team members. Darius (Dariush) Khondji, Iranian-American famous director of photography, was his powerful partner in his team that after “Panic Room” their partnership finished. One of the factor of success of the “Se7en” was he’s creative photography.
Although “The Curios Case of Benjamin Button” is another excellent film from my popular director, David Fincher, and I like to watch it more and more time, but “Se7en” is he’s masterpiece and will remind in the memory of cinema history.