Movie Review

Synecdoche, New York

In the mind of Charlie Kaufman and within the screenplays that

originate from that ultra-bizarre and yet strangely familiar world,

the watcher is never really sure what is going on. Even the ending

of a Kaufman film (which usually brings some form of closure or 

relief) doesn't ever actually mean it's 'the end'. Long on trickery 

and short on conformity, Kaufman's latest work 'Synecdoche, 

New York' was released on a relatively small scale last year but 

has thumped the cinematic world for ages to come.  

The making of this film must have been similar to the journey 

of Philip Seymour Hoffman's character Caden Cotard. Overtly 

distraught by a strange and de-habilitating medical condition 

that affects his ability to salivate, Cotard is a man of fatal 

disappointment. Stuck within a disparate marriage to a 

famous painter but pedestalizing his young daughter 

Olive, Cotard aims to break out of his rut as an unoriginal 

playwright and to create something so brave, artistic, daunting 

and unfounded that it begins to take over the whole of his 

being. Within this journey, though, Kaufman keeps the viewer 

disoriented by allowing Cotard's character to lose track of 

normal daily devices such as time. Within the work of this 

film, time is a factor that never really makes sense but 

is still pivotal to the duration of the story. 

Synecdoche plays out like a dream that seems so vivid and

real the moment you wake up, but that is so fragmented and 

near impossible to recall within seconds of being awake.

It is a cinematic work like none other to date. Hoffman is

obviously brilliant along with a stellar cast but the real

creative genius is in the writing. This is not to say that 

Hoffman doesn't act well or isn't a good actor - he's crucial

to this role and a massively gifted actor. This film is just

so well written that the cast is almost a non-factor 

(including a definite nod and branching out for Michelle

Williams). It's actually hard to write about what

unfolds within the film without giving away too much.

Just know that if you don't see any other film this year, 

you must see this one.