“A” Rating by Robert W. Hammerle

David Fincher’s “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” is a truly inspiring piece of film making. It magically takes the audience on a metaphysical ride that explores the very meaning of human existence.

While it is on a surface level a profoundly moving love story, it is in reality so much more. A poignant depiction of the human condition and the ephemeral nature of true love, only the magnificent “Slumdog Millionaire” (2008) stands as its equal.

But while “Slumdog” told the powerful story of two young lovers and the gravitational attraction that continually pulled them together into each other’s arms over seemingly insurmountable obstacles, “Button” focuses on the heartbreaking reality of wasting even a small moment of time when you are fortunate enough to kiss another human being and feel as if your DNA has been forever altered.

Based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, “Button” may be the most original screenplay to hit the theaters since Christopher Nolan’s “Memento” (2000) or Charlie Kaufman’s “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” (2004). However, as unique as those two films were, they didn’t come close to matching the magic of “Button.” While we all know how life will end, “Button” reminds us how we should live out our few precious moments here on earth.

In a performance that will forever define him as an actor, Brad Pitt plays Benjamin Button, the one human being on earth who is aging in reverse. Born at the end of World War I and looking like a 90 year old man, he is abandoned at a retirement home by a shocked father (Jason Flemyng) following the death of his mother in childbirth. Pitt deserves an Oscar nod, and I suspect he will get it.

The home, located in New Orleans, is run by a warm hearted, decent woman named Queenie, played by Taraji P. Henson. Expecting this seemingly deformed child to die relatively soon, Ms. Henson is movingly unforgettable as a protective surrogate mother of her human ugly duckling.

As young Benjamin grows, he experiences all the infirmities of old age. Bald, wrinkled, arthritic and wheel-chair bound, he is a freak everywhere but with the elderly semi-addled people with whom he lives. Here he is right at home as reflected by an old widow’s comment when he first arrives, “Oh my, he looks just like my late husband.”

However, there comes a time when all children must flee the nest, and so it was true with the young/old Benjamin. Director Fincher’s cinematic ode to humanity soars as we watch Benjamin drink his first beer and lose his virginity to a sympathetic prostitute in a bordello.

The supporting cast surrounding Pitt is, as expected, stellar. In particular, Jared Harris is captivating as a boozing, tattooed tugboat captain who takes young Benjamin under his wing as he shows him the world.

Tilda Swinton follows up her Oscar winning performance in “Michael Clayton” (2007) as a lonely, lustful spouse of a British diplomat with whom Benjamin has an affair. She forbids him to say “I love you,” and he is initiated into the society of the broken hearted.

And, oh yes, there is an obscure actress by the name of Cate Blanchett. The great Ms. Blanchett plays Daisy, Benjamin’s life long love. Having met as children, they re-connect during that portal in time when they are the same age.

Their love affair is sweet, altruistic and deeply passionate. They know what they have in each other, and they are devoted to the here and now. Both know he is getting younger while she ages, but that only serves to intensify their time together.

Director Fincher employs an effective narrative device where the movie unfolds in flashbacks. On her deathbed in a hospital, a hurricane closing in, Daisy has her adult daughter (Julia Ormond) read Benjamin’s diary to her.

Ms. Ormond, looking beautifully frazzled, is emotionally overwhelmed by the story she reads, as is the audience. I have never experienced such joyous heartbreak at the end of a film since that little teddy bear crawled up to sit with his dying child in Spielberg’s tragically flawed gem, “A.I.” (2001).

“Button” begins with a story of a grief stricken blind clockmaker who lost his only son in World War I. He donates a large handmade clock to his town. When it is pointed out to him that the clock runs backward, he notes that this was done so that everyone could have a chance to re-connect with loved ones who are no more.

That is the powerful metaphor that defines this sublime film. Aging is a reality, and we cannot turn back the clock. What matters is how we spend the time given to us.

Both “Slumdog” and “Button” remind us that all experiences, both good and bad, are an integral part of life’s journey. They define who we are. Nothing is more powerful than falling in love, and nothing is more sad than wasting that precious moment.

Mr. Fincher has given us a simple film with a profound theme, namely that life is about the journey, not the destination. “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” is a movie that explains why many of us find a theater filled with strangers to be our sanctuary.