The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

What are you looking at, Caroline?

-The wind, mom.

They say a hurricane is coming.

I feel like I'm on a boat...

drifting.

Can I do anything for you, mom?

Make anything easier?

Oh, sugar. There is

nothing left to do.

It is what it is.

I'm finding it harder

to keep my eyes open.

My mouth's full of... cotton.

There, there, miss Daisy.

You will scratch yourself to ribbons.

Do you want any more

medication, mother?

Doctor said you can

have as much as you want.

No need for anybody to suffer.

A friend told me that...

she never had a chance to say

goodbye to her mother.

I wanted to tell you...

how much I'm gonna miss you.

Mom.

Oh, Caroline.

Are you afraid?

-I'm curious.

What comes next...

They built that train

station in 1918.

Our father was there

the day it opened.

He said that...

a tuba band was playing.

They had the finest clockmaker

in all of the South

to build that glorious clock.

His name was

Mr Gateau.

Mr Cake.

He was married to a Creole

of Evangeline Parish

and they had a son.

Mr Gateau was from birth

absolutely blind.

When their son was old enough,

he joined the army.

They prayed God would keep him

out of harm's way.

For months, he did nothing

but work on that clock.

One day a letter came.

Mr Gateau, done for the night,

went up alone to bed.

And their son came home.

They burried him

in a family plot

where he would be with them

when their time came.

Mr Cake worked on his clock,

laboring to finish.

It was a morning to remember.

Papa said there were

people everywhere.

Even Teddy Roosevelt came.

It's running backwards!

I made it that way.

So that perhaps the boys

that we lost in a war

might stand and

come home again.

Home to farm,

work,

have children,

to live long, full lives.

Perhaps my own son

might come home again.

I'm sorry if I offended anybody.

I hope you enjoy my clock.

Mr Cake was never seen again.

Some say he died

of a broken heart.

Some say he went to sea...

Excuse me, do you mind

if I make a call?

Somebody's watching

my little boy. -Sure.

I hope I haven't

disappointed you.

You couldn't disappoint me.

Well, I...

I know I don't have much

to show for myself.

The suitcase.

There's a diary.

This?

Could you read it to me, dear?

-Is this what you wanna do?

I tried to read it a hundred

different times...

Mom, it's not exactly...

Just the sound of

your voice, darling.

It's dated "April 4th, 1985."

It says, "New Orleans."

This is my last will

and testament.

I don't have much to leave,

few possessions, no money really.

I will go out of this world

the same way I came in,

alone and with nothing.

All I have is my story.

I'm writing it now

while I still remember it.

My name is Benjamin.

Benjamin Button.

And I was born under

unusual circumstances.

The first world war had ended.

I've been told it was an

especially good night to be born.

We won the war!

What are you doing here?

-Thomas...

I'm afraid she's gonna die.

-What?

That's enough! All of you!

Get away from her!

I came as quickly as I could.

The streets are filled with people.

Thomas, promise me

he has a place...

Yeah.

She gave her life for me.

And for that,

I am forever grateful.

Mr Button...!

Thomas!

Thomas, wait!

Hey, what are you doing there!?

What do you have there?

The air is sweet.

You look very handsome

tonigh, miss Queenie.

Handsome as I ever seen you.

The brown matches your eyes.

-Oh, hush!

You ain't no slouch yourself.

Hambert's back in town.

He came home legless...

but he home... I know you was

sweet on him one time...

Sweeter than I shoulda been...

-Miss Simone messed herself.

Sweet Jesus! She got to stop

doing that, or it's diapers for her.

-I'll be right there!

-C'mon, it's awful nice out here.

Come out back for a moment,

take your mind off things.

What in God's name...!?

Oh, the Lord done

something here...!

I hope I didn't hurt it none,

steppin' on it like that.

We best leave that for

the police. -Oh, baby.

I'll go.

It's for sure nobody wanted

to keep it. Come on, baby.

Quennie!

-Hold your water!

I'll be back.

She went and messed

herself all over again...

Jane Childress, start her a bath.

And mind your own

business, Mrs Duprey.

You'll be messing yourself

soon enough.

Somebody stole my necklace.

OK, Mrs Hollister, I'll be right

with you. Go on back upstairs.

You are as ugly as an old pot,

but you still a child of God.

Queenie, she won't go

take a bath without you.

Mercy... I'll be right there!

You just wait right

here for me, okay?

My sister gave me those pearls.

I can't find them anywhere.

Somebody's been

stealing my jewelry.

They are right here,

Mrs Hollister. See?

Right around your pretty

white neck. Now come on.

Your heart is strong. You want

to avoid any undue stimulation.

I trust you ladies will

help me out with that?

I've never seen anything like it,

nearly blind from cataracts.

I'm not sure if he can hear,

bones indicate severe arthritis.

His skin has lost all elasticity

and his hands and feet are ossified.

He shows all the deterioration,

the infirmities not of

a newborn, but of a man

well in his eighties on his way

to the grave. -He's dying?

His body's failing him

before his life's begun.

Where did he come from?

-It's my sister's child.

From Lafayette. She had

an unfortunate adventure.

Poor child, he got the worse of it.

Come out white.

There are places for 'unwanted'

babies like these, Queenie.

No room for another

mouth to feed here.

The Nolan Foundation,

despite their good intentions,

thinks this place is a large

nuisance as it is. A baby...

You said he don't have long.

Queenie, some creatures

aren't meant to survive.

No, this baby here is a

miracle, that's for certain.

Just not the kind of miracle

one hopes to see.

Now listen! Listen up here!

We gonna have us a visitor

that's gonna be staying

with us for a little while.

My sister had a child, but she

couldn't see right by it. So...

He's known as...

Benjamin.

Benjamin...

He's not a well child,

so we're gonna have to

take good care of him.

I had ten children, there's

not a baby I can't care for.

Let me see him.

Oh, God in heaven, he looks

just like my ex husband.

Look, he's prematurely old.

Doctor Rose said he ain't got

much more time on this earth.

Join the club.

Oh, smile!

Hambert sends his

remembrances to you.

Are you right out of your mind?

I know you ain't got all the parts

it takes to make one of your own,

but this ain't yours to keep,

it may not even be human kind.

Mr Weathers, come back here!

Please.

"You never know

what's comin' for you."

It seemed I'd found a home.

Is any of this true?

You have such a lovely voice.

Mom, there's an ancient

streetcar token.

That clock just kept going,

year after year after year...

I didn't know I was a child.

-Same old crap every day.

I thought I was like

everyone else there.

An old man in a

twilight of his life.

Stop bangin' that fork. It's used

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