Synecdoche, New York
"You realize you are not special. You have struggled into existence, and are now slipping silently out of it. This is everyone's experience. Every single one. The specifics hardly matter. Everyone's everyone."
*****
‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’ is one of my all time favourite movies. A lot of people had a hand in making it such a great film in my eyes...the director, Michel Gondry, the cast, specifically Kate Winslett...but a lot of credit has to go to the guy who came up with the idea in the first place, writer Charlie Kaufman. So, it should come as no surprise that whenever his name is attached to a film as ‘writer’ (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation) I know, as a film lover, I'm in for a treat...
So when a colleague told me he went to see the new Charlie Kaufman film, I thought he was talking about one he had written. Turns out, he didn’t just write this one, he directed it as well…and for a first time director, its quite an achievement. Just flat out mind blowing. There were times in the first hour I was very confused, but I just had a feeling that I was going to get it…or that I was getting just enough that it would carry me through. Kind of like how back in grade 5 you’d read books with big words that you ‘kind of’ understood…and within the context of the surrounding words in the sentence you knew what it meant…but not really…that’s how I was feeling through most of this film. But I enjoyed every confusing, baffling, painful moment…of which there were a few. It certainly helped that I’m a big Philip Seymour Hoffman fan, and, as the star of the film, and the center of all of its universes (of which there are a few…), he’s on screen pretty much the entire 2 hours. His character ages, at varying speeds, roughly 50 years over the course of the film…and Hoffman is virtually pitch perfect.
The film deals with one mans attempt to face his own life and put it on display simultaneously, in the form of a large scale ‘theatre performance’ involving thousands of actors on a stage the size of New York city itself. If it sounds bizarre and confusing, that’s because it is. The film back cover did a pretty good job of explaining the plot of the film...and IMDB.com gave the short, short version...
"A theater director struggles with his work, and the women in his life, as he attempts to create a life-size replica of New York inside a warehouse as part of his new play"
At the heart of Synecdoche, New York is a story about life, and how time (and our recollection of it) seems to speed up, causing large chunks of time to go by in what seems like a blur, no matter how hard we try to slow it down, or stop to 'smell the roses'. Our history is a flash of memorable events...one after the other...with different periods of time between each...sometimes months...sometimes years. Its also a film about men, and how richer (and sometimes tragic) our lives are made by the opposite sex, in all their forms and incarnations (truly amazing supporting cast of great female actors who are introduced one by one over the course of the film). Its also a film about how within our reality, there are sometimes multiple realities…from anything like wearing a different ‘hat’ at work than you do at home, to leading a double life, like cheating on a loved one…and the fragility of our reality, and how we can never control it, no matter how hard we try, no matter how good/right we try to be.
I know…sounds like a bad English paper or something…
But after watching Synecdoche, New York I was left with the feeling that I had seen something with real substance…something that, by accident or not, had shown me a side of life that meshed with my own beliefs. This film, and Kaufman in particular, created a world unlike nothing I’ve ever seen before, but still felt very real, in a bizzaro world kind of way. Truly, as Roger Ebert was quoted as saying on the front of the DVD, this is a film you really can (and should) watch twice, because it is just so creatively rich, and compellingly complex that nearly 3 days later and I’m still thinking about it after only one viewing.
Not for all tastes, and by no means perfect, but if you’re a film nerd like me, or you enjoy head trip, pseudo philosophical movies that really make you watch closely (and work hard doing it), then this should be at the top of your list of films to see...and fully deserving of *****
'Don't look too close......'
*****
‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’ is one of my all time favourite movies. A lot of people had a hand in making it such a great film in my eyes...the director, Michel Gondry, the cast, specifically Kate Winslett...but a lot of credit has to go to the guy who came up with the idea in the first place, writer Charlie Kaufman. So, it should come as no surprise that whenever his name is attached to a film as ‘writer’ (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation) I know, as a film lover, I'm in for a treat...
So when a colleague told me he went to see the new Charlie Kaufman film, I thought he was talking about one he had written. Turns out, he didn’t just write this one, he directed it as well…and for a first time director, its quite an achievement. Just flat out mind blowing. There were times in the first hour I was very confused, but I just had a feeling that I was going to get it…or that I was getting just enough that it would carry me through. Kind of like how back in grade 5 you’d read books with big words that you ‘kind of’ understood…and within the context of the surrounding words in the sentence you knew what it meant…but not really…that’s how I was feeling through most of this film. But I enjoyed every confusing, baffling, painful moment…of which there were a few. It certainly helped that I’m a big Philip Seymour Hoffman fan, and, as the star of the film, and the center of all of its universes (of which there are a few…), he’s on screen pretty much the entire 2 hours. His character ages, at varying speeds, roughly 50 years over the course of the film…and Hoffman is virtually pitch perfect.
The film deals with one mans attempt to face his own life and put it on display simultaneously, in the form of a large scale ‘theatre performance’ involving thousands of actors on a stage the size of New York city itself. If it sounds bizarre and confusing, that’s because it is. The film back cover did a pretty good job of explaining the plot of the film...and IMDB.com gave the short, short version...
"A theater director struggles with his work, and the women in his life, as he attempts to create a life-size replica of New York inside a warehouse as part of his new play"
At the heart of Synecdoche, New York is a story about life, and how time (and our recollection of it) seems to speed up, causing large chunks of time to go by in what seems like a blur, no matter how hard we try to slow it down, or stop to 'smell the roses'. Our history is a flash of memorable events...one after the other...with different periods of time between each...sometimes months...sometimes years. Its also a film about men, and how richer (and sometimes tragic) our lives are made by the opposite sex, in all their forms and incarnations (truly amazing supporting cast of great female actors who are introduced one by one over the course of the film). Its also a film about how within our reality, there are sometimes multiple realities…from anything like wearing a different ‘hat’ at work than you do at home, to leading a double life, like cheating on a loved one…and the fragility of our reality, and how we can never control it, no matter how hard we try, no matter how good/right we try to be.
I know…sounds like a bad English paper or something…
But after watching Synecdoche, New York I was left with the feeling that I had seen something with real substance…something that, by accident or not, had shown me a side of life that meshed with my own beliefs. This film, and Kaufman in particular, created a world unlike nothing I’ve ever seen before, but still felt very real, in a bizzaro world kind of way. Truly, as Roger Ebert was quoted as saying on the front of the DVD, this is a film you really can (and should) watch twice, because it is just so creatively rich, and compellingly complex that nearly 3 days later and I’m still thinking about it after only one viewing.
Not for all tastes, and by no means perfect, but if you’re a film nerd like me, or you enjoy head trip, pseudo philosophical movies that really make you watch closely (and work hard doing it), then this should be at the top of your list of films to see...and fully deserving of *****
'Don't look too close......'
posted by neil at 5:30 PM
4 Comments:
Nicely done Neil. I'm constantly impressed by the way you can articulate your viewing experiences. Also, you have a real knack for pealing back the cover of films and exposing the guts. Most people just miss that level dude. Keep 'em coming (and start researching magazines that accept reviews... if you write it, they will come... and publish it... if you don't stop)
thanks bro...always appreciate your feedback and support. It is something I'm going to try and seriously devote more time to, so keep pushing...
Spotless Mind. Incredible concept & great flick.
I've been hearing about this movie for a while. I know Phillip Seymour Hoffman usually means it's gonna be good. Did you see Capote? May try to catch to tomorrow.
I have seen Capote, and its really, really good. Beautiful, chilling, riviting...just great! In fact, I may have even done a review for it in the early days of F&LiA...
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