Last night, Jobi, Pammy, Chels and her friend made a mad dash to Robinson’s Galleria to catch the last full screening of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The group initially planned to catch the movie at Trinoma, then decided to watch it at Promenade in Greenhills instead. Due to unfortunate turn of events (such as the last full screening of the movie being sold out), the group ended up watching the movie at galle (and this was such a good thing for me because at the time I was just a stone throw away from galle.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is the film adaptation of 1921 short story of the same title by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It tells the story of a man who aged backwards, which means he was born looking very old, and died as an infant in his old age. I find the film beautiful. The story telling, made from the point of view of Benjamin Button himself, was beautiful and intimate in the sense that it shares the story teller’s very personal thoughts, which were uncomplicated, simple in a certain way, and yet deeply profound. The film pays attention to little details, such as listening to the house “breathing” while everybody is asleep.
There are many lines from the film that stroke me as well. Here are my favorites:
Along the way you bump into people who make a dent on your life. Some people get struck by lightning. Some are born to sit by a river. Some have an ear for music. Some are artists. Some swim the English Channel. Some know buttons. Some know Shakespeare. Some are mothers. And some people can dance.
Your life is defined by its opportunities… even the ones you miss.
It’s a funny thing about comin’ home. Looks the same, smells the same, feels the same. You’ll realize what’s changed is you.
I’m always lookin’ out my own eyes.
You can be mad as a mad dog at the way things went; you can swear and curse the fates – but when it comes to the end, you have to let go.
We’re meant to lose the people we love. How else would we know how important they are to us?
It’s funny how sometimes the people we remember the least make the greatest impression on us.
For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.
Some nights, I’d have to sleep alone. I didn’t mind, I would listen to the house breathin’. All those people sleepin’. I felt… safe.
I liked the car crash scene.
And I got stucked by a lighting while walking with my dog.
pao shen!! it’s always great to hear from you on my blogsite’s comment box haha. what car crash scene? i missed the first 15 mins of the movie btw haha. seriously? you got hit by lightning??where? malaysia doesn’t really get bad storms right? how did it feel like? did it hit your dog too?
Haha, no I meant the lightning thing was from the movie, benjamin buttons, remember there’s this guy in that old folks home who said, “Have I ever told you I was hit by a lightning 7 times?” One was when he was struck when he was walking with his dog.
The car crash scene, you know, the sequence for the taxi picking up the passenger? I liked they way how they chronograph that scene.
But if you have the chance to watch slumdog millionaire, that’s another great “must-watch” show.
oohh right. haha. yeah i remember that character who got struck by lightning 7x.
ah yeah i thought that car crash scene was clever. they somehow managed to weave together little events and it worked.
slumdog millionaire has not shown in Manila but it sounds interesting. i think it won best picture and other awards at the golden globe.