Thoughts on Synecdoche, New York

I was slightly afraid I was going to be disappointed with Synecdoche, just because it's been so critically divisive. But it's just my kind of film, really. Quirky and mind-bending while never sacrificing beautiful drama to just be a mindf--ker

Okay, Charlie Kaufman can now do no wrong whatsoever. He is brilliant, from the direction to the screenplay. He creates Caden Cotard (played brilliantly by PSH) and a plethora of female characters. Cotard rivals The Joker as the best character of the year. He's neurotic as hell and so caught up in his neurosis, which is a strange emotion. He's also a hypochondriac, as he thinks he's dying if he was an itch or a slightly yellow shit. And he is so narcissistic. Caden Cotard is obsessed with Caden Cotard. So much so, that he uses his MacArthur grant to stage a play about his life and all of the stuff that happens in it.

Then it's trademark Kaufman. Who's acting as whom? Is she an actor? Is he real? It's the type of movie that occasionally you have to pause the DVD (from Netflix, by the way. I lost my Netflix virginity) and think about what the hell is happening. Such a smart and endearingly confusing film.

So, on instinct, I logged onto IMDb to see the reception of the film on the boards. It was all quite interesting, as everyone was trying to dissect every little part of the film. And I say, why? Why is it necessary? Art like this shouldn't be made so logical. To me, the explanation isn't important. I watched a character study of a messed-up guy and the people around him. And I loved it. But these people are trying to find the further meaning in it. I find that so exhausting. The lesson of the film? Don't be like Caden.

One theory on the film, though, that I found interesting [the following paragraph could be perceived as spoilers] was that, perhaps, Caden was dead the whole time. The evidence seems totally there. And that's why, if Caden was in heaven (or in some ways, hell), a thousand people would "realistically" follow this tortured director (Caden) for seventeen friggin' years to make a play that no one will ever see. I mean, something like that couldn't happen in real life, right?

Anyway, Synecdoche is a must-see. Total brilliance. A (By the way, the quote on the sidebar is from the film and I found it to be so effective of the film's meaning. And life's meaning)