"I was born under unusual circumstances."

And so begins 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button', adapted from the 1920s story by F. Scott Fitzgerald about a man who is born in his eighties and ages backwards: a man, like any of us, who is unable to stop time.

From New Orleans at the end of World War I in 1918, into the 21st century, on a journey as unusual as any man’s life can be, the film tells the grand tale of a not so ordinary man and the people and places he discovers along the way, the loves he finds and loses, the joys of life and the sadness of death, and what lasts beyond time.

Nominated for 13 Academy Awards and once again reuniting Brad Pitt with his 'Se7en' and 'Fight Club' director David Fincher, 'Benjamin Button' also features Cate Blanchett and a script from 'Forrest Gump' screenwriter Eric Roth.

"It's not that simple," says Roth of living life in reverse.

"On the surface, you think it would be just lovely, but it is a different kind of life, which I think is so compelling about this story. Even though Benjamin is going backwards, the first kiss and the first love are still as significant and meaningful to him. It doesn't make any difference whether you live your life backwards or forwards – it's how you live your life."

The movie explores the human condition that exists outside of time and age – the joys of life and love and the sadness of loss. "David and I both wanted it to feel as if this was anybody's story," Roth says. "It's just a man's life – that's what's sort of extraordinary about the movie and very ordinary at the same time. What affects this odd character affects everyone."

But making the movie would be an ambitious jump, posing dramatic as well as technical challenges. For Pitt, the only way to play the character was all the way through, at every age, which posed one of the film’s most daunting challenges.

Pitt's draw was also in the journey Benjamin takes. "Many actors weigh a part based on what their character gets to do," says Fincher. "Well, Benjamin doesn’t 'do' a lot, per se, but, man, he goes through an enormous amount. Brad was the perfect person. It's the kind of role that would be passive in lesser hands."

See how he fares when 'The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button' opens in South Africa on 27 February. To celebrate the release we're giving away two stunning coffee table books valued at R1000 each, courtesy of Nu Metro.

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