SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK is a 2008 film starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and being written as well as directed by Charlie Kaufman. The film follows theatre director Caden Cotard as he struggles with his work and attempts to craft the most uncompromising play imaginable, whilst trying to manage his own personal demons such as his fear of death and being forgotten by his loved ones. However, his excessive commitment to realism within his work causes the boundaries of his life to be blurred between his fiction and his reality.
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There’s a reason the late and great Roger Ebert hailed “Synecdoche, New York” (2008) as the best film of the decade in 2009. “Synecdoche, New York” stands the test of time as one of the most thought-provoking dramas of all time. Whilst it may seem nonsensical initially, it grows on you as you explore the multi-layered story and the film’s countless themes as well as the exceptional performances from every actor seen within the film, no matter their screen time.
To start, the cast. Philip Seymour Hoffman stars as Caden Cotard, the troubled theatre director. His performance within “Synecdoche, New York” is my personal favourite performance throughout his career. Initially, you feel pity upon his character, suffering from the tasks of everyday life: routine, repetition and so on. However, as the film progresses, how Hoffman reflects his character ageing and his worries of death left an irrefutable mark on me as a viewer, as his views and worries are then reflected onto you. The symbolic nature of his character is seen further upon knowing that Caden’s second name “Cotard”, is a reference to “Cotard’s syndrome”. The delusional belief that a person thinks that they are already dead, adding onto Hoffman’s performance and his fear of death. The somewhat chilling performance from Hoffman and the motives of his character are seen from the start, with his character consistently reading the obituaries within the daily newspaper and nothing else. Death is his only concern. Caden is essentially the definition of self-pity. The character of Caden Cotard stands as Hoffman’s career-defining performance, even after his passing. This film was the first film I watched after his aforementioned passing, not because of the film’s theme of death, but because it is a performance and a film to be remembered by.
Catherine Keener takes the supporting role as Adele Lack, Caden’s wife. Following on from Hoffman’s performance is another strong performance, the character of Adele could be seen as the opposite to Caden. She has no focus or fear of death, she just wants to enjoy life as it comes instead of worrying about the future and eventually tackles her life’s aspirations. The burden on her character initially is their only child, Olive (Sadie Goldstein). She is dealing with their life problems as Caden attempts to dodge them in his depression, you can feel that Caden is being arrogant with his pity and Adele is the one there to take care of the issues. The look of her character whilst with Caden is genuinely tired and disappointed with her life and you become as invested in her performance as you do with Hoffman’s.
The rest of the cast, Samantha Morton, Hope Davis, Tom Noonan and Emily Watson are all equally to be proud of their performances as there is not a single weak performance within this film. The reason I don’t wish to talk about them and breakdown their characters is because it would ruin the film for first-time viewers, for the sake of spoilers. They are all to be applauded immensely.
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| "I'm just a little person..." |
The writing and directing effort by Charlie Kaufman is masterful, as with his previous films such as “Adaptation” or “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”. With this film comes the recurring subject often seen within Kaufman’s previous work, the state of the human mind and it perception of reality, desire, dreams and in this film, death. The writing task undertaken by Kaufman is immense as you feel that Caden crafting his masterpiece reflects on to Kaufman, he is writing his masterpiece, joining the journey that Caden is going through. The amount of subtleties presented within “Synecdoche, New York” is beyond perplexing, Kaufman’s intention is for the viewer to watch it repeatedly and have a different experience each time, be it because there is a detail you missed the first time around or derive a different interpretation because you’re in a different mood or even years later when you’re a different person. What particularly fascinates me about the writing done by Kaufman within this film and his previous films is how Kaufman himself leads a deeply private life yet interjects so much of his personality into his work. It is truly a wonderful insight into his mind, fears, regrets and triumphs. While it may struggle to ring coherent for some initially, it eventually builds to become the definition of melancholy. A bitter sweet tale of a man’s life on Earth. As also mentioned, it is the directorial debut of the veteran writer and it is a strong debut. The style of his direction is similar that of Spike Jonze, which isn’t surprising as he has been the director of Kaufman’s scripts like “Being John Malkovich”. However with this slight similarity, Kaufman takes his already personal script and owns it, it allows him even more creative freedom to tell the story that he wants to tell when he handles both the departments of writing and directing. On the topic of this, some critics of “Synecdoche, New York” may disagree with me, thinking that Kaufman needs a director like Spike Jonze (or Michel Gondry for that matter) to keep Kaufman's ideas restrained, focusing on crafting as cohesive of a narrative as possible. I feel that the film's difficult and surreal structure only enhances it, adding to the film's message about life. This however, is the cause of frustration for most, audiences struggling for something to follow or grab onto instead of allowing the story to be told to them as the film operates on a different plain of reality, a deeply personal reality that some will get and some won't. That aside, Charlie Kaufman is a personal role model and I shall always await his next film, no matter the subject matter. “Synecdoche, New York” only solidified his already spectacular body of work.
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| "One person in a sea, of many little people..." |
The cinematography seen within this film is by none other than Frederick Elmes (Blue Velvet, Eraserhead), and is sharp and done to a level of precision that blends nicely with the rest of the film. It remains devoid of colour, having a heavily desaturated look, all in the name of depression. It is a very dim looking film with a few objects standing out from the colour palette to display significance or intensity, therefore it is difficult to comment on, however it serves its purpose and is well done to the standard necessary from Kaufman.
A final note about “Synecdoche, New York” before moving onto a conclusion is the score composed by Jon Brion, notable for his early work with Paul Thomas Anderson on films like “Magnolia” or “Punch-Drunk Love” and also on Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Tracks like “Little Person” really do bring an already depressing film down on it's knees, not surprising considering Kaufman wrote the lyrics from most, if not all the score heard within the film, keeping in line with the films explored themes and tone. The melancholy felt whilst listening to a track like “Something You Can't Return To” is honestly overwhelming, yet addicting. The score is just as distinctive and bizarre as the visual aspects of this film, compiling together to create this sinking feeling, a feeling you can't describe, but it's wonderful, a feeling I've felt while watching no over film, it overwhelms you and your senses. An incredible score.
Overall, “Synecdoche, New York” is a triumph of cinema. It is a meticulously crafted insight to Kaufman's thought process and a fascinating one at that. It is definitely a decisive one however, some, like myself will find it engrossing from start to finish and demand multiple viewings. Others will find that it is pretentious nonsense that demands no more than one viewing or not even a viewing at all. Whatever you may think, you have to commend Charlie Kaufman for creating one of the most uncompromising efforts ever seen within cinema, it is that lightning in a jar that you don't see often due to studio interference or reasons similar. Whilst it may have been the definition of a box office bomb, it has garnered a cult following with an also polarised view of the film, just like the critics. It deserved better, as this essence of creativity is very rarely seen, and is becoming less and less common within popular cinema. How unique this film is demands that you should see it, or at least try it – and while you're watching it, remember that the end is built into the beginning.
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| "Who are not aware of me..." |
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