Synecdoche, New York

Somehow last fall one of the best films of the year was reduced to a blip on cinema’s landscape; going unnoticed by most of the movie going public. For me, it seems as if I heard about it one day, missed out on it the next. Thankfully, I remembered to rent it, watch it and watch it again. My great regret is that it went so unnoticed, Synecdoche, New York may never get the due it deserves. It is not the most accessible film. But if you are willing to spend the time with it, contemplate it and evaluate it, the film will creep into your soul and provide an experience generally lacking in American cinema. Synecdoche, New York becomes something you live; not just a two hour piece of entertainment meant as a mere distraction from your daily life.

Standing apart from your typical cinematic experience is something that should be expected from the film. Synecdoche, New York is a continuation on the themes writer Charlie Kaufman explored in some of his previous films, Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. There is a longing for connection with other people, a meditation on unrequited love and a desire to leave an indelible mark on the human race. Like the other films there is a melancholy quirkiness in Synecdoche, New York, a piece of art that seems more personal than before, perhaps because Kaufman also directs this film, his debut in the capacity. This film is the next step in turning Kaufman into a true auteur; getting better with each subsequent project. His stories, though uncompromising, are becoming more relatable to any viewer; his casting decisions ever more inspired.

Cast as the lead character, Caden Cotard, Philip Seymour Hoffman seemingly is the ultimate actor able to express Kaufman’s uniquely skewed vision of life. We have come to expect to see Hoffman morph into a tragically morose individual, beaten down by life and yet still hopeful, still able to find the comedic moment in life’s little foibles. In Synecdoche, New York he brings this persona to near perfection as the theater director haunted by his failings in life; driven to understand them through an ambitious theatrical production that never comes to full fruition.

Thankfully Kaufman was able to complete his vision. In a post-mortem review of the 2008 year in movies; Synecdoche, New York deserves a place on the best of list from last year. The film, the director and lead actor all deserved an Academy Award nomination. Perhaps it missed because it is so different from just about everything else. Most films elicit a response by showing you the joys and trials of life; Synecdoche, New York requires you live through the film and feel the joys and trials of your own life through the character of Caden Cotard, the mind of Charlie Kaufman.