"Anyone who cannot come to terms with his life while he is alive needs on hand to ward off a little his despair over his fate—he has little success in this—but with the other hand he can note down what he sees among the ruins, for he sees different (and more) things than do the others; after all, dead as he is in his own lifetime, he is the real survivor. This assumes that he does not need both hands, or more hands than he has, in his struggle against despair."--Kafka



Sunday, February 8, 2009

美麗在尋常

看The Curious Case of Benjamin Button時,就想,怎地那麼像Forrest Gump?也是以美國大時代作背景,同樣講一個奇男子的故事,同樣有對男主角愛護有加的母親/養母,同樣有帶點不羈的女主角,男主角同樣在船上幹活……回家讀報,專欄剛巧談到這電影,就印證了我的直覺沒錯——原來兩齣電影均出自同一位編劇的手筆,無怪乎那麼相似了。

不過,撇除劇情有相似之處,兩者還是有重大的分別:還記得當年看Forrest Gump 時,眼淚鼻涕直流,看Benjamin 就沒有那麼催淚,倒是平淡如水。Forrest Gump 天生智力不高,卻誤打誤撞成就多姿多采的一生,相反,Benjamin 天生要倒活一次,劇情理應可以寫得十分煽情,但他卻活得出奇地平凡,一樣的工作拍拖生仔,出奇地沒有受過任何歧視和欺凌。

又感覺好像Big Fish,愛在小人物處著墨,見過食人族的黑人男子、被閃電擊中七次的老頭子、愛唱歌劇的婆婆……其實原來主角不是Benjamin,而是那些有人情味的過客。沒有驚濤駭浪的劇情,卻告知美麗在尋常,無論人生向前走向後走,人情不變,教人觸動,尤以當養母Queenie 擁著Benjamin 時,最為動人。

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