Facebook – Synecdoche New York: A “Review”

What.

Here is a movie that is two parts Lynch and four parts Kafka (referenced in the movie itself). Like Eraserhead, this is a film about getting older and the fears of aging/fatherhood through the terrible and strange things featured more often than not in something akin to “The Castle” or “The Trial” and it this that writer/director Charlie Kaufman produced his masterpiece.

All of the actors in this are amazing, obvious because they have to deal with the incredible scenes and dialogue and events and they do so without faltering, even the no-name people. Take for example the characters that live in a house that is perpetually on fire. Hoffman, however, steals the show (as per usual) by being full of pure acting prowess. His aging and his movement through time is beyond ridiculous. Lines are delivered in a way that makes me love the movie more than I should:

“I was a baby once…”
“I’m sorry…”

Symbolism is the name of the game, however, and the movie’s got it in spades, while still having a plot that is easy to understand and follow. Hoffman takes us through this, his character’s insane plight, with such grace and composure. Caden Cotard (Hoffman’s character) has such dreams and such desires that his inability to secure any of them is heartbreaking and stomach-turning.

This movie is not simply worth seeing. It is worth owning. The surrealism of everything is beyond the edge of madness and I can’t even begin to tell you how stupid that sentence is. Hell. This movie is on the top of my list of movies I’ve seen all year.

Kaufman is an amazing creator and inspires such creativity in me after this movie. Breathtaking.

9/10