David Fincher’s epic fantasy about a man who is born a wizened elderly midget and grows younger as he ages resembles a kind of reverse riff on Forrest Gump.

It showcases highly impressive film craft, extraordinary special effects and make-up that brilliantly superimpose Brad Pitt’s features at different stages of ageing on to various sized bodies to chart his growth into an ever younger man.

Cate Blanchett, covered in latex ageing make-up, tells the strange story in flashback via her diary and plays Button’s ballet dance lover.

Tilda Swinton turns up as another of Button’s lovers, and Pitt turns in an Oscar-nominated performance, one of the 13 Academy Award nominations for this seriously strange but consistently absorbing drama.