From the curious case of benjamin button to Revolutionary road

0501 first of May,

a couple of weeks since i came back from Japan, have more or less gotten back on track in my work. The first few days when i started working, i find myself missing those "elevator xiaojies" who would greet you politely, help you press the buttons and bring you to the respective levels in lifts, as opposed to the old HDB cargo lifts that i have survived from my impatience attacks! I wake up in my own blankets, hoping that my bedsheets and pillows would be well kept on my return, hahaha, and i miss the freedom and ability to indulge in endless days of shopping and eating spree. Of cuz, japan also provides scenic shrines and streets and a cool weather to enjoy.

I watched 2 movies on my flight return back to singapore, the curious case of benjamin button and revolutionary road. Have some thoughts to share.

While i was indeed curious about the life of benjamin button, how his body grew backwards in terms of appearance, from a wrinkled baby back to a confused young boy with senile dementia in old age, i was disappointed to realise, like how benjamin kept telling his wife that "whatever changes was just his appearance", he did not lead a life that that was different from the rest of us.

Benjamin grew up as an inquisitive old man in wheelchair, curious about what was happening beyond the yards of the old folk home he stayed in. In his adolescent years, still in the form of an elderly man, he had the same excitement "growing up" as his body began to develop more muscles. And while we have to cope with our fear of old age, his fear came in another form which was similar to how we fear we may become a burden for our love ones one day. So much that he had to give up his happy marriage to allow his wife to dedicate her feelings to another man so that they can raise and provide for his daughter.

I watched the movie, with an expectation that there would be alot of emotional struggle involved as benjamin adapt and grow with the people around him. But the director seemed to remain firm that Benjamin is not that special after all...

If i were born with wrinkles and a feeble body, how would i have been different growing up? Aside from being subjected to suspicions of being a paedophile when i develop likings for children of my own "age", will i grow accustomed to my wrinkles and think that a fair complexion is pale and uninteresting? Why would i like children in the first place? Since its human tendency to mix with people with similar interest and possibly appearances, shouldn't i be falling for someone old like me? True, i should develop curiosity and anticipation for youth, when my body becomes stronger and have a nicer built to stand tall on my feet, knowing that i would become even younger and more charming, i really cannot decide if i would become more excited or frightened.

There were two memorable scenes in the movie, one of which was when Benjamin saw on a TV screen in restuarant on a report on how an elderly woman managed to swim across an ocean of vast distance and lamented that "nothing is impossible", it was very heartwarming as it reminded how Benjamin and the old woman had crossed paths in their lives many years before, when they had a secret affair. The character, played by Tilda Swinton, was a married woman whose husband was a spy, leaving her alone in a strange place where she met Benjamin one night, at the lobby of a guest house they put up in. In the wee hours of many subsequent nights, they would chit and chat over coffee and champagne. That was when she revealed one of her greatest disappointment in her life was how she failed to complete a swimming marathon and never had the courage to do it again. i do not know for certain but i was reminded of the people whom i have met and how we may have affected one anothers' decisions and way of life, in a good way preferably, in one way or another.

Whether i grow old into an old man or like Benjamin, i hope i "would have collected many beautiful memories to take with me to my graves". Coincidentally, that was a line i remembered from another Brad Pit movie, Meet Joe Black. This brings me to my second memorable scene and that was when Benjamin came back to his family as a young and stunning young man. Hahaha, it pains me that young, goodlooking celebrities like Brad Pit and Leonardo DiCaprio, in revolutionary road, had to subject themselves to image makeovers to make themselves look more mature, old and sometimes fat so that they can be taken seriously for their works and be considered for more roles. No one expected Brad to win the Oscars because of his good looking reputation, but i think its really because his role as Benjamin button is really not that impressive as compared to Sean Penn. Really miss the ultimate golden boy image that Brad Pit projected as death in Meet Joe Black. On the note, Cate Blanchett was brillant in her performance as Benjamin's love interest.


I followed on watching Revolutionary Road right after Benjamin button, again, i was disappointed. Both Kate Winslet and Leonardo's characters were constantly in fight because of low self-esteem. While they may seem as the perfect couple in the suburban town, they were not happy. Leonardo's character was not performing in his mundane job and Kate, an inspiring actress, felt underachieved and unfulfilled as a housewife. Ironically, she hoped to go to New York to become a secretary and become the bread winner in the house while Leonardo can have more time to think about what he wants to do in life!

I thought she would want to go to Broadway or somewhere where she can pursue her dreams.

And when Leonardo's character finally decided that he wants to remain in the town since he had gotten a promotion in his job, he became convinced that he can still provide a good life for their family there. Kate became disillusional and suspected she had mental problems, with an inability to adapt and keep up with social expectations. This is something that i thought is rather confusing in the direction of the movie. It wasn't clear what Kate was really seeking and yearning. She just want to break away from all the conformity of her society and be happy. While i can relate to her anxiety, i can't help but remain confused because i do not understand her goals. Does her character has one? Or is she just seeking a certain type of emotion? If she was just missing the excitement to be able to be restless, she could have just travel! What makes her think that by going New York, she would be able to settle down? Or she plans to hop from city to city eventually?

In the last scene after she aborted her baby in her own restroom, she walked slowly to her windows in her living hall, looked beyond her gardens and smiled before the camera shifted down to her legs to reveal that she had started bleeding. Her smile suggested that she was hopeful for a new beginning after her adoption so she couldn't have committed suicide. Yet the movie should have ended that way because she had become so unhappy with her life that she no longer had the strength and will to voice her opinion. She died anyway, leaving me very confused.

I like how the movie explores on issues like how we should address to our emotional needs despite social expectations and of cuz brilliant performances from the cast but i am left confused. Actually after watching both movies, i came to realise that life is really not that exciting, while movies in the past tend to excite and inspire viewers with special effects and happy endings, alot of movies these days tend to portray a more realistic way of life.

Benjamin Button may be strange in his growing pattern but he still has to find a way to lead his life like we all do. And even if we were as bitter as Kate in our lives, we have to buck our spirits up and be happy. When we are gone, people around us simply move on. Kate's immediate neighbour decided to buried memories of her deep in his heart and not talk about them. Her house agent who once looked up to them as the perfect couple in town, started bad-mouthing about her. My thoughts are getting depressing, i better stop!