How many times can the lightning strike the same person?

"Have I told you I've been struck by a lightning seven times?"
All along the movie, we hear this old man tell Benjamin about when, where and how lightning managed to hit him several times, when he was just doing regular everyday life tasks, minding his own business... This metaphore for fate, for the randomnness of the events that occur and change (or not) the course of our lives was used as a leitmotiv during the whole motion picture.

Most people who hadn't seen the movie yet asked me what it was really about, and how good it was. Well, it 's the story of a man that is born old and gets younger as years go by. It's a story about people's attitude towards life. It's a tale of innocence, about appreciating simple things in life, and taking the best out of it. It's about not taking for granted one second of our lives, about learning to accept death, loss, and still believe that, while we are still breathing, the best may be still yet to come.

It's an "award" type of movie, the kind of odyssey beautifully directed, with an amazing casting, beautiful music, decor and special effects (Brad Pitt's performance, playing Benjamin Button throughout his whole life is simply stunning), the type that would bring tears out of the coldest stone hearted eyes. But, if we look past the cinematographic work, if we focus on the story, on the psychology of the character, we find a lonely person swimming against the tide, aware of the suddenness of life and the unpredictable paths it may lead us to. It all concurrs to a rather pessimistic conclusion at first sight, for he not only loses all of those he met and loved, but also sees them getting older as he keeps getting younger himself.

But there are some elements of hope. The lightning strikes 7 times the same person. Out of chaos, we don't know why, there is some consistency. And this man survives the 7 strikes long enough to talk about them for decades... It made me wonder wether or not the lightning had stroke me yet or not, in a good or a bad manner. I guess it does strike me every now and then, as it does to a lot of people everyday. But are we wise enough to aknowledge how lucky we are to still be here and talk about it? do we understand how these blows in our lives are just little rocks in the long road we go down, and are supposed to teach us a lesson? In the end, when we look at te big picture, which lightning strikes do we remember, and which ones make a real difference in our lives?

"Even the sun goes down, heroes eventually die
horoscopes often lie and sometimes why?
nothing is for sure, nothing is for certain, nothing lasts forever,
but until they close the curtain..."

Outkast, Aquemini

"I had two big accidents in my life Diego, the trolley and you. You are by far the worst."
Frida Kahlo to husband, Diego Rivera