Director: David Finchner
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" is, at turns, a melancholic fable and epic love story.
The film reunites celebrated director David Finchner of "Seven" and "Fight Club" fame with Brad Pitt, who stars in the title role.
Acclaimed Australian actress Cate Blanchett also stars as Button's love interest, Daisy.
The movie, based on a somewhat mythical premise of aging in reverse has been nominated for 13 Oscars including Best Picture.
It tells the tale of tale of Benjamin Button, born in 1918 as a decrepit old man with wrinkles, cataracts, and arthritis. Benjamin's bizarre predicament means he will age backwards, getting younger as those around him grow older.
The love affair between Benjamin and Daisy is revealed in the opening scenes as Daisy's grown daughter (Julia Ormond) reads from Benjamin's journal as her mother lays dying in a New Orleans hospital room just as 2005's devastating Hurricane Katrina gathers to full force.
We learn Benjamin is abandoned at birth by his prominent New Orleans parents and raised by a kindly caretaker in a nursing home, where he later meets flame haired beauty Daisy.
The fiesty Daisy becomes a central figure throughout Benjamin's life, but remains to a degree unobtainable despite Benjamin's determined pursuit.
And while their love for each other is genuine, it is ultimately made impossible by Benjamin's unusual condition.
It is the relationship between Daisy and Benjamin, portrayed with great sensitivity and impact by the film's star's, which deliver the biggest emotional punch.
Loosely based on a short story by F Scott Fitzgerald, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" combines drama, romance and staggering computer artistry without the bangs and explosions.
Dazzling digital effects and hideous prosthetics render Pitt's movie star looks unrecognizable throughout much of the film's length.
It is a staggering transformation, but one that makes the film's seemingly implausible premise that much more believable to the audience.
While weaving elements of whimsy and fancy, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" also manages to explore truths about the human condition, the passing of time and enduring love.
It is a haunting film of depth and intensity that will intrigue and unsettle long after the credits roll.
Now showing Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia
