PlotThe elderly Daisy (Blanchett) is on her deathbed with her daughter Caroline (Ormond) in a New Orleans hospital as Hurricane Katrina approaches in August 2005. Daisy tells the story of a clockmaker named Gateau (Koteas), who was commissioned to create a clock to hang in the New Orleans train station. After receiving news of his son's death on the battlefield, he continued work on his clock, which he intentionally designed to run backward, in the hope that it would bring back those who died in the war.
She then asks Caroline to read aloud from a diary containing photographs and postcards written by Benjamin Button (Pitt). Caroline begins to read as the story transitions to Benjamin's point of view.
On November 11, 1918, just as the people of New Orleans are celebrating the end of the Great War, a baby boy is born with the appearance and physical limitations of a man who is 86 years old. The mother of the baby dies shortly after giving birth, and the father, Thomas Button, takes the baby and abandons him on the porch of a nursing home. Queenie (Henson) and Tizzy (Ali), a couple who work at the nursing home, find the baby. Queenie, who is unable to conceive, decides to take the baby in as her own, against Tizzy's wishes. She names the baby Benjamin.
Over the course of the story, Benjamin begins to physically grow younger. In 1930, while still appearing to be in his seventies, he meets a young Daisy (Fanning), whose grandmother lives in the nursing home. The children play together and listen to Daisy's grandmother read from a storybook.
A few years later, Benjamin goes to work on a tugboat on the docks of New Orleans for Captain Mike (Jared Harris). In their free time, the captain takes him to brothels and bars. For the first time, he meets Thomas Button, who does not reveal that he is Benjamin's father. Later, Benjamin leaves New Orleans with the tugboat crew for a long-term work engagement.
In Russia, Benjamin meets a British woman named Elizabeth Abbott (Tilda Swinton) and falls in love with her. Elizabeth is already married, with her husband working as a spy for the British government, but she has an affair with Benjamin. One day, on the morning of December 8, 1941, the day after the Pearl Harbor attack, Elizabeth leaves unexpectedly and leaves a note behind: "It was nice to have met you."
Benjamin gets caught up in World War II when Captain Mike's boat and crew are enlisted by the United States Navy. During a battle, the tugboat rams and sinks a German U-boat in the Atlantic Ocean. Most of the sailors on board the tugboat, including Captain Mike, die of wounds received from the battle. A hummingbird appears, symbolizing Captain Mike's spirit per an earlier conversation where Captain Mike talked about the miracle of hummingbirds. After this, Benjamin sees death in a different way, as opposed to the retirement home where death seemed more natural.
In 1945, Benjamin returns to New Orleans, and again meets Thomas Button, who is dying. Thomas reveals to Benjamin that he is his father and bequeaths all of his assets to Benjamin, including the house and the family business.
Benjamin learns that Daisy has become a successful dancer in New York City. When Benjamin travels to New York to meet Daisy at a performance, he finds Daisy has fallen in love with a fellow dancer. Later, Daisy falls victim to a car accident during a dance tour in Paris, inhibiting her dance career. Benjamin receives notice of this by telegram from one of her friends, and immediately travels to Paris to find her. Daisy's first comment upon seeing Benjamin is "you're perfect" – referring to his youthful appearance – but she turns Benjamin away, telling him to get out of her life. Later, Daisy regains the ability to walk through intense physical therapy.
In 1962, Benjamin returns to New Orleans and meets Daisy again and falls in love. Benjamin sells the house he had inherited from Thomas Button and moves into a duplex apartment with Daisy, who later starts a dance studio for young girls. However, the couple struggles with the issue of Benjamin growing younger while Daisy grows older. A few years pass and Daisy gives birth to a girl, Caroline. Benjamin, believing he can no longer be a "real father" due to his continuous reverse aging, decides to leave Daisy behind with his possessions and assets when Caroline turns one.
While reading this, Caroline learns Benjamin is her father. She becomes upset that Daisy took such a long time to inform her of this, but in turn finds that Benjamin sent her a postcard from everywhere for each of her birthdays telling her how he feels about his daughter.
Benjamin becomes younger and travels to various countries around the world. In 1980, he returns once again - now looking like a 25-year-old - to meet Daisy in her dance studio. At this point, Daisy is married to a widower, and Caroline is now thirteen years old. Daisy introduces Benjamin to her husband and daughter as a long-time family friend. Daisy and Benjamin then meet privately in Benjamin's hotel where they share their passion for each other, while realizing that Daisy has become too old for Benjamin. Benjamin departs and continues to grow younger until he develops symptoms similar to dementia as a pre-teen, barely remembering his past. Daisy moves into the nursing home where Benjamin grew up and takes care of him as he becomes a younger, more confused 5-year-old boy with a growing temper.
In 2002 the old clock in the train station was removed. Shortly afterward, in the spring of 2003, an infant Benjamin dies in Daisy's arms. At the moment before Benjamin dies, Daisy claims to have seen through his eyes that he still remembers her. In the 2005 hospital room, as the power goes out due to Hurricane Katrina, Caroline leaves the room while Daisy passes away, just after wishing to see Benjamin and seeing a hummingbird fly by the window (a symbol of spirits after death). The city's emergency sirens then sound as reports of the breached levees arrive, and the backwards clock is shown in a basement, still working, as floodwaters begin to engulf it.
Cast
* Brad Pitt as Benjamin Button
* Cate Blanchett as Daisy Fuller
* Taraji P. Henson as Queenie
* Julia Ormond as Caroline
* Jason Flemyng as Thomas Button
* Mahershalalhashbaz Ali as Tizzy
* Jared Harris as Captain Mike
* Elias Koteas as Monsieur Gateau
* Ed Metzger as Theodore Roosevelt
* Phyllis Somerville as Grandma Fuller
* Josh Stewart as Pleasant Curtis
* Tilda Swinton as Elizabeth Abbott
* Spencer Daniels as Benjamin Button – Age 12
* Elle Fanning as Daisy – Age 6
* Madisen Beaty as Daisy – Age 11
Here's the movie trailer:
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