After his Oscar win, Charlie Kaufman was approached by sony pictures to create them a horror movie, and thus sprang Synecdoche: New York. A film that is not scary in a conventional sense, but rather in a sense of having a dream that no matter how hard you try, cannot be completed. This however is just my interpretation. This is a film that is meant to be interpreted differently by all those who view it; some may view this film as one about insanity, and others may see nothing in it at all.
The film stars Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Caden Cotard, a play write living in New York that with the help of a MacArthur grant, creates a replica of New York City inside a warehouse, where his play spanning thousands of lives over thousands of characters in one city takes place. As time goes on we see Cotard grow old, but never loses sight of his vision.
Kaufman’s directorial debut is one that is a challenging, creative, and inspiring as the one he has scripted before it. It while not completely accessible through its first viewing, leaves you with thoughts and ideas that haven’t been presented like this before. From the acting, writing, to direction it all fits in this sad yet goofy universe that Kaufman has created.
On your first watch of this film, you may leave it confused, not exactly sure what to think of it. However I advise you to watch this a second time, either a day after the first or ten years after the first. The second time you will be able to pick up everything missed from the first viewing. A viewing in ten years will change your interpretation entirely as you will be a new person with new beliefs and interests. Or maybe everything I’m saying is wrong and you hate it your first watch and never want to see it again. Either way I highly recommend you watch this film. Thanks for reading and make sure to come back next week for another installation of Jackson’s obscure film of the week.
