Synecdoche, New York (2008)

Synecdoche, New York: Directed by Charlie Kaufman. With Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, Sadie Goldstein, Tom Noonan. A theatre director struggles with his work, and the women in his life, as he creates a life-size replica of New York City inside a warehouse as part of his new play.

“Note: This works MUCH better on a repeat viewing, practically a masterpiece, and one of the perfectly sad comedies ever made… though the last ten minutes is a slog (perhaps intentionally, as itu0026#39;s near the end of the tunnel… but itu0026#39;s still unbearable).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOver the course of my teenage years Iu0026#39;ve seen Being John Malkovich through Eternal Sunshine (those two the M-word, masterpieces, with Adaptation and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind near-great, and Human Nature a fun minor work), and heu0026#39;s always given something to chew on for the brain. Heu0026#39;s an incredible wit, maybe too incredible, like something that could combust with the amount of ideas and ruminations and skill at defining whatu0026#39;s important to us as people and what we want out of art. Synecdoche, New York could be seen as his life-summation of what concerns him as a writer. And to call it art is simple, because it is: it is, alongside the something like Inland Empire, the most challenging work to come out of American cinema. To say that either one is flawed may come as something as a given, but for Kaufman itu0026#39;s somewhat more troubling.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis is a big film of ideas, crucial, life-affirming (or life-damning) thoughts about love and death and loss and forgiveness and, essentially, the process of trying to recreate and recreate and recreate this. But at the same time the intellect to engage full-tilt by Kaufman the writer, the director couldnu0026#39;t engage me as a viewer emotionally – at least at first. This changed on a second viewing – Iu0026#39;m reminded of Woody Allenu0026#39;s assertion on multiple viewings of 2001 that Kubrick was much ahead of him on what he was doing – but on a first impression I have to wonder, with everything going for Kaufman the satirist, the original, the sad dramatist, what the movieu0026#39;s audience really is. Like the play that is rehearsed for decades that Cotard never brings to his audience, what can one take away from Synecdoche, New York as far as connecting with the characters, or just Cotard?u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eMaybe it reveals something about me just talking about this; indeed this is probably the film of the season, if not just the year (Dark Knight fanatics take note), that you will want to talk about after it ends. As far as puzzling works of art go itu0026#39;s great for a good argument, especially if one is familiar with how Kaufmanu0026#39;s work has been leading up to this point. Itu0026#39;s not exactly that the film is ever so confusing that one will want to walk out – there is a logic, in a sense, to the life imitating art imitating life imitating art etc etc aspect that makes sense. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhen Kaufman, as director, makes his film this time about as hopeful as Franz Kafka rewatching the Zapruder film on a loop, even the scenes and moments that *do* feel somewhat powerful emotionally (i.e. Hoffman seeing his daughter in a nudie-booth, or the final scene on the bed with Hoffman and Morton old and in bed with the house, once again, on fire) donu0026#39;t hit their mark – again, at least at first. Itu0026#39;s almost as if seeing the film again it becomes deeper, more resonant; like any work of art at another point in oneu0026#39;s life, it could change, and if one gives it the chance it does. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eCertainly the cast makes it worthwhile to watch: Hoffman is what he is, brilliant at transforming physically as age goes by as Caden Cotard, and at delivering subtle moments of humor amid his health-decay; ditto in her own right to Morton, who ranges from bubbly and lustful to anrgy and dejected (Michelle Williams, too, shows this range); even a bit part by Dianne Wiest is appreciated. They all help to give life to what is a big, somber meditation on (quoting Douglas Adams) Life, the Universe, and Everything.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAnd yet, expressing my (initial) disappointment over the length (at 124 minutes it feels twice as long) or the music (did Kaufman order u0026quot;kill-myself-piano-tunes-youu0026#39;ll-love off of ebay for this?) or the personal problem of connecting emotionally with some of the characters as they (intentionally) donu0026#39;t really grow, shouldnu0026#39;t, I hope, diminish recommending Synecdoche, New York for anyone who wants something to challenge them, provoke thought and discourse, to engage and disrupt brainwave patterns. Perhaps there should be some disappointment; like life, and the art pulled out of it with pliers, itu0026#39;s not always a pretty sight, especially near the end. But it is a unique journey I was glad to take, and I hope every few years or so to come back to it, and see if it changes me, or if Iu0026#39;ve changed, since seeing it last.”