So Pitt’s early depiction of Benjamin, which takes up more than hour of the total three—that’s three—is a CGI process. Pitt’s head – made into that of an old man—is situated on a short, old man. The result is a synthetic character—a sort of geriatric Jar Jar Binks—matted into the movie.

But how else to do this? Benjamin is born a grotesquely wrinkled looking baby, but soon is about five-foot-five and an old man. “I’m seven years old,” he says at one birthday party. But he’s in his late 80s. You marvel at that Fincher and friends have accomplished this feat. Pitt’s head is a white haired balding orb set on top of a little person who is growing older by the hour. He’s Gollum from “Lord of the Rings” meeting Robert Redford, with a better wardrobe.