Synecdoche New York
Synecdoche New York is Charlie Kaufman’s first foray into direction: and a very successful one at that.
If you’ve seen other films penned by this creative fellow, such as Being John Malkovic or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, the convolutions of the plot, and the blurring of the distinction between reality and, well, an alternate reality, I suppose, won’t come as a shock.
Synecdoche (a word many people aren’t familiar with, but are bound to know now, thanks to Kaufman), is set in Schenectady, New York.
Philip Seymour Hoffman (one of the finest actors around at the moment), plays theatrical director, Caden Cotard. Now, if you’re familiar with Cotard Syndrome, you’ll be aware that those afflicted by this condition tend to think that their bodies are putrefying. Sure enough, Caden Cotard is experiencing more than his fair share of physical decrepitude – or is he?
Having wrapped a production of Death of a Salesman with an atypically young cast, because, as he says, the actors are playing what the characters will become, Cotard is the recipient of an arts award that allows him to embark on a large-scale, brutally honest production of his own creation.
Meanwhile, his wife Adele, played by Kaufman stalwart Catherine Keener, is an artist whose career is taking off, thanks to her miniscule portraiture, which require magnifying glasses to see.
Is Cotard’s large-scale project somehow dwarfing Adele’s painting, and is his egocentrism stifling her? Well, it’s evident that their marriage has seeen better days. Their visits to a therapist who yearns for ugly disclosure, and who is more concerned with selling her vast range of self-help books don’t seem to be improving their relationship.
Kaufman loves to engage his audience and devises twisted plots to do so. There’s something almost Lynchian in his approach, except that Kaufman’s films always contain emotional elements that are no less significant than the “experience” of watching his films.
As such, Synecdoche New York is practically impossible to unravel in one viewing. The plot structure is like a russian doll, but never detracts from the emotional substance of the film, which, by the way, is extremely powerful. Kaufman addresses just about all of the big issues in life: despair, alienation, egocentrism, self-absorption, the fleeting and ultimately futile nature of success... it’s all there.
Frankly it’s impossible to summarise this film in a brief review. Synecdoche New York is brimming with bemusing characters and positively pregnant with meaning. Though Kaufman is also undeniably saying that no matter how important we think we are, in the grander scheme of things none of us really matters that much – except to ourselves.
No doubt some people will see this film as supremely self-indulgent, but for this viewer – an admirer of Kaufman’s creativity, Synecdoche New York is an ingenious, amusing, heartwrenching but rewarding experience.