Cinema Genius

“…I was born under unusual circumstances.”  says a character of  “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” – a film loosely based on an original short story written by American classic Francis Scott Fitzgerald in 1921.  It tells us a philosophical story  about a man born in his early  80’s who ages in reverse.  A man,  like any other,  who is unable to change the course of time.  And at the same time we can view the story as  a time voyagers’  tale of the characters and locations. Benjamin, played by Brad Pitt, travels to the everlasting love he experiences, the bliss of life and the sorrow  of death.  Benjamin shows us all how to appreciate every moment and that the greatest things in life do truly last beyond time itself.

By choice of the director David Fincher, who already  shot several  memorable movies such as “Fight Club” and “Seven”, the story line starts in New Orleans during the end of World War I in 1918.   And it continues into the late 70s – far beyond the life of F.  Scott Fitzgerald himself, who died in 1940.

A friend once asked me to describe time in 10 seconds or less without using the word time. My response was “The distance from one moment to the next.”  What I did not realize is that life is defined by each one of these moments. We, as human beings,  have the ability and gift of free will, love, and self-awareness. It is this self-awareness that drives us to the constant desire to seek change and perfection.

Our society is  superficial and vain.  We have conformed to the evolutionary image of our time. Everywhere you turn you are bombarded with images of beauty products, anti-aging creams, and plastic surgery as a way to reverse the aging process. But what are wrinkles and gray hairs? They are nothing but the rings on a tree stump, the falling petals on a sunflower. They are our marks of the time we have spent in this world and reminders of the experiences that help define us. This film is an acclamation of that.

We should agree with Benjamin who  says “You never know what’s coming for you.”  Thus,  it is our duty to live life according to our free will and satisfaction.  Love greater, learn passionately, and be grateful for  the time we have in which to do so.

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