By RICHARD TEO
Staff Writer
Have you ever heard of the movie Forrest Gump? About a mentally impaired man doing extraordinary things? Well, this film is quite similar to that. Well actually, it’s the opposite. It’s about a man born of extraordinary circumstances doing ordinary things. It’s about how beautiful life can be even when you’re doing the least. Whereas Forrest Gump achieves the feats that anyone could ever dream of, Benjamin helps us appreciate what life has to offer despite all our imperfections. It’s a film about growth despite the main character aging backward. A very interesting theme, the film tackles the many challenges in life: war, love, adulthood, and faith. The movie won 13 Academy Awards including Best Actor, Best Picture, and Best visual effects. The plot is relatively simple but also captivating. The Curious Case of Benjamin follows a man who was born with reverse aging, an old man to a baby. He is orphaned by his father who was terrified by his condition, however, he anonymously stalks Benjamin in his attempts to care for him. But that’s enough spoiling for now. The film is set after the events of the first World War. After being orphaned at a nursing home for older people, Benjamin is raised until he’s 17 when he leaves to go work for a tug boat company. He joins the war, and then one day reunites with his childhood friend, Daisy who lives to tell the tale about his journeys through a diary.