Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie''s plot.
I don't know a lot about Charlie Kauffman but if I had to guess, I would say he lives a very depressing life. His movies are brilliant and clever but they all deal with extremely depressed characters. Synecdoche New York centers on some of the most depressing characters ever created in the history of cinema. This is not a knock on him in any way; I think the man is great; it’s just really depressing when you think about it. And it’s not even depressing in a normal way, which just wouldn’t be Kauffman, it makes you think and reevaluate constantly. Like just about everyone of his films, it is incredibly surrealistic, and while the visuals aren’t exactly eye popping, the whole scope of what is actually happening is some of the most bizarrely surrealistic stuff to happen in cinema last year. Synecdoche New York marks Kauffman’s directional debut since Spike Jonze was making Where the Wild Things are, and hopefully this will not be the last film Kauffman directs.
The plot is weird, non conventional, and with a hell of a timeline. Basically the story is about Caden Cotard, a man living the world’s most depressing life. He has an unhappy marriage with Adele and a young daughter. He directs plays, which seems to be his one passion in life but he is doing Death of a Salesman and although it has been getting good reviews he still desires a lot in life. Caden starts going to therapy and starts hating his life more. Eventually he wins a grant and is able to do whatever he wants with a bunch of money. He decides to make a play based entirely on his life, to do this he makes a full replica of New York in a large theatre. He casts actors to play himself and the people he knows. Throughout this Caden is having different odd relationships with various women, the actors start to assume his life and things get complicated.
The only reason this movie worked in the way it did was probably because Charlie Kauffman actually directed it. I can’t see anyone else being able to understand the material and make it work. Maybe Spike Jonze but Kauffman handles this wonderfully. The plot is odd, it isn’t completely out of this world, it is ambitious but it isn’t nearly as high concept as Being John Malkovich. But the way it is executed is remarkable; I have never seen anything quite like it. The timeline is completely non linear, it doesn’t go back in time, but all of the sudden 5, 10, years have passed with no indication of how. The movie takes place over two decades or so, it is quite impressive how Phillip Seymour Hoffman managed to play different ages and still pull it off, and even just look old.
It should go without saying that if it’s a Kauffman film, it generally won’t conform to a traditional three act structure. And while that’s true with his films, his past ones could be broken down if you really analyzed them, Synecdoche New York has no structure at all, it never seems to end, and the whole film almost just feels like a nightmare. It is incredibly surreal but is rather easy to relate to the characters. You feel for Caden and all his problems, even if the film goes in several directions at once. The film is loaded with subtext and layers to it, it says a lot about a lot of topics. Depression, humanity, relationships, are just a few of them, I’m sure there are a ton I’m missing but those seem to be the main ones at least I got out of. I’m positive this film could be interpreted differently and could be seen as a completely different experience. And that’s just part of the brilliance of Charlie Kauffman.
The acting is great, Phillip Seymour Hoffman is one of the best actors today and he turns out an absolutely amazing performance. He creates so much emotion in each scene it almost gets overbearing, yet it never feels like he is overacting. Catherine Keener who has shown up in a bunch of Spike Jonze/Kauffman movies in the past, feels right at home here. Her performance feels completely natural and fits in the movie perfectly. Samantha Morton is great in her role as Hazel, who was undoubtedly one of the most interesting characters in the film. She adds a lot of depth to her role and is wonderful. Michelle Williams is great in her role, and is a bit more mysterious. The whole cast is really good here and they all bring a lot to the film.
Overall, if you like Charlie Kauffman and aren’t afraid of films that don’t conform to the traditional rules of film than by all means see this. It is not for everyone; it is completely dry throughout and gets to be downright depressing for the whole second half. The first half does contain some nice comedic touches. This is a film to be interpreted in all sorts of ways and mean different things to people. It is a surreal experience and one that is impossible to forget. It has a bunch of different ideas going on; all work on some level even if it’s not always clear. The basic concept is solid, it is creative and defiantly not something the average screenwriter would come up with. I really don’t think anyone other than Kauffman could have pulled this off, but he did and I would rather see a film by someone doing his own thing and not giving a damn if it makes no sense to the average person. It’s unique and one of the better films of last year. Give it a chance, a lot of people will certainly hate it but hopefully everyone will be able to appreciate its crazy ideas, themes, and willingness to do something completely different. Hell, just the fact that this got made and Kauffman pulled it off is pretty impressive.
From Charlie Kaufman, comes a visual and philosophic adventure, Synecdoche, New York. As he did with his groundbreaking scripts for Being John Malkovi...More at Buy.com
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