The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
2008 · 166 min · Director: David Fincher
Show plot summary (may contain spoilers)
On the day that Hurricane Katrina hits New Orleans, elderly Daisy Williams (nee Fuller) is on her deathbed in a New Orleans hospital. At her side is her adult daughter, Caroline. Daisy asks Caroline to read to her aloud the diary of Daisy's lifelong friend, Benjamin Button. Benjamin's diary recounts his entire extraordinary life, the primary unusual aspect of which was his aging backwards, being diagnosed with several aging diseases at birth and thus given little chance of survival, but who does survive and gets younger with time. Abandoned by his biological father, Thomas Button, after Benjamin's biological mother died in childbirth, Benjamin was raised by Queenie, a black woman and caregiver at a seniors home. Daisy's grandmother was a resident at that home, which is where she first met Benjamin. Although separated through the years, Daisy and Benjamin remain in contact throughout their lives, reconnecting in their forties when in age they finally match up. Some of the revelations in Benjamin's diary are difficult for Caroline to read, especially as it relates to the time past this reconnection between Benjamin and Daisy, when Daisy gets older and Benjamin grows younger into his childhood years.
Emotional fingerprint
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) — Movie. Top emotional signals: Melancholy 30%, Sadness 25%, Love 20%. Source: AI estimate. Shares describe emotional signal, not percentages of people. Your experience may differ. How we measure
- Melancholy30%
- Sadness25%
- Love20%
- Nostalgia15%
- Awe10%
AI estimate · no viewer votes yet
How we measure
AI estimate
Share of emotional signal, not the percentage of people or a probability of enjoyment.
Each viewer contributes one response, split equally across their selected emotions. When available, an automated estimate supplies a prior that is blended with those responses. Counts include distinct viewers, not automated estimates or archived anonymous votes. Fewer than 3 viewers is an early estimate; more responses do not guarantee certainty.
Why it feels this way
The strongest emotional signals are Melancholy, Sadness, Love. Genres: Drama, Romance, Fantasy. AI estimate.
Is it worth watching?
Consider this title if you are looking for Melancholy, Sadness and Love. Its IMDb rating of 7.8/10 suggests a generally positive audience reception. For these leading emotions, its Feel Score is 74/100.
How did it make you feel?
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Pick up to three · 0/3
Emotional journey
- Sadness
- Love
- Joy
Not enough subtitle evidence
No dominant emotion
Dominant emotion: Curiosity
Dominant emotion: Sadness
Dominant emotion: Joy
Dominant emotion: Love
Dominant emotion: Tension
Dominant emotion
| % | Approximate minute | Dominant emotion | Overall intensity | Sadness | Love | Joy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 % | ≈ 4′ | Curiosity | 45 % | 37 % | 18 % | 15 % |
| 7.5 % | ≈ 12′ | Sadness | 44 % | 34 % | 24 % | 16 % |
| 12.5 % | ≈ 21′ | Curiosity | 41 % | 24 % | 28 % | 21 % |
| 17.5 % | ≈ 29′ | Joy | 39 % | 18 % | 28 % | 25 % |
| 22.5 % | ≈ 37′ | Love | 38 % | 19 % | 24 % | 24 % |
| 27.5 % | ≈ 46′ | Joy | 45 % | 30 % | 26 % | 21 % |
| 32.5 % | ≈ 54′ | Sadness | 54 % | 38 % | 36 % | 20 % |
| 37.5 % | ≈ 62′ | Curiosity | 53 % | 26 % | 39 % | 23 % |
| 42.5 % | ≈ 71′ | Love | 59 % | 23 % | 33 % | 19 % |
| 47.5 % | ≈ 79′ | Tension | 70 % | 36 % | 24 % | 14 % |
| 52.5 % | ≈ 87′ | Sadness | 66 % | 46 % | 26 % | 18 % |
| 57.5 % | ≈ 95′ | Curiosity | 56 % | 44 % | 32 % | 16 % |
| 62.5 % | ≈ 104′ | Sadness | 51 % | 40 % | 30 % | 13 % |
| 67.5 % | ≈ 112′ | Sadness | 54 % | 44 % | 31 % | 16 % |
| 72.5 % | ≈ 120′ | Sadness | 61 % | 51 % | 44 % | 29 % |
| 77.5 % | ≈ 129′ | Love | 66 % | 53 % | 54 % | 41 % |
| 82.5 % | ≈ 137′ | Love | 69 % | 54 % | 53 % | 36 % |
| 87.5 % | ≈ 145′ | Sadness | 74 % | 65 % | 53 % | 18 % |
| 92.5 % | ≈ 154′ | Sadness | 70 % | 64 % | 49 % | 8 % |
| 97.5 % | ≈ 162′ | Sadness | 55 % | 47 % | 35 % | 8 % |
Riches to rags
Rags to riches: The emotional tone rises from negative to positive.
Riches to rags: The emotional tone falls from positive to negative.
Man in a hole: The tone falls, then recovers.
Icarus: The tone rises, then falls.
Cinderella: The tone rises, falls, then rises again.
Oedipus: The tone falls, rises, then falls again.
AI reading of the film’s English subtitles (dialogue and sound cues) — not viewer votes. How we measure ↗
Kadri — your film companion
AIAsk anything about The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. From the film’s own dialogue and FeelDB data, at your spoiler level.
Afterward Reveal viewer responses · may contain spoilers
Viewer responses about feelings after the title ended, separate from feelings while watching. No AI estimates.
0 responses so far
Feeling details appear after at least 3 viewers respond, to protect privacy.
Cast
Martin Gateau
Teddy Roosevelt
Caroline Button
Mrs. Hollister
Details
- Directed by
- David Fincher
- Written by
- Eric Roth, Robin Swicord, F. Scott Fitzgerald
- Type
- Movies
- Released
- 2008
- Runtime
- 166 min
- Country
- United States
- Ratings
- Feels mostly
- Melancholy
- Data updated
Where to watch
Rent
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