Dir. Charlie Kaufman, US, 2009, 124 mins
Cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Samantha Morton, Michelle Williams, Catherine Keener, Emily Watson, Dianne Weist
Review by Philippa Bradnock
Film writer Roger Ebert recently used Synecdoche, New York as an example in a piece about the difficulty of writing short film reviews of complex films. A description of just the plot of Charlie Kaufman's latest film and directorial debut could easily stretch to twice the length of that piece.
The film follows Caden Cotard (Hoffman), a regional theatre director. His marriage to Adele (Keener) is failing, he has an unhelpful therapist, and he is falling for the box office girl, Hazel (Morton). Caden gets a grant to do something theatrical, something honest, something true . He starts a production in a warehouse which re-creates the city outside, and recruits an army of actors to play his acquaintances, and to re-live his daily life.
Synecdoche, New York covers many familiar Kaufman themes. Caden is worried about his health, apparently with good cause. He struggles with creative block, his attempts to do something 'true' spawns an army of actors and an expanding, self-generating script. And he is extremely lonely and surrounded by death with parents, friends and finally cast members all dropping like flies.
What is strikingly different about the film is the atmosphere of despair and growing menace, which builds throughout. As Caden's warehouse city grows there are rumblings of violence and revolution, and at one point a blimp with a searchlight floats over the fabricated streets. There is also an overwhelming sense of confusion and loss. The film elides great stretches of time and so Hazel suddenly has five year old sons and Caden has apparently re-married. The characters often seem unsure about time: Caden and Hazel disagree over whether Adele has been away for a year or a week. Reality presents them with a similar problem and Caden's protest to his second wife that he has to find his 'real' first daughter belies an almost Lynchian psychological trauma and confusion.
Kaufman's direction is competent, and gives a suitably claustrophobic feel to the film. But one wonders what a warehouse city built by his previous collaborator Michel Gondry might have looked like, or whether Spike Jonze's direction could have livened things up a little.
In interviews Kaufman discusses the emotional sincerity of his films, but also his delight at finding a clever detail in a film as a viewer, and his desire to bury such details in his own films. Often this playing to the audience compromises Synecdoche, New York . In Caden's failing marriage it attempts to show us the horror of a dying relationship and the hope of a new one, only to sacrifice the latter for a cheap joke near the end.
Ultimately one can level the same criticism at Synecdoche, New York as at all Kaufman's films: that the slipperiness of his scripts and the layers of reference make one suspect that he is merely playing a game, presenting an ironic pretence of emotion, rather than real empathy. Synecdoche, New York is bizarre, dazing, naïve, cynical, excessive and exciting. But it remains hard to gauge whether it goes beyond a collection of clever ideas.
Synecdoche, New York – DVD release
Dir. Charlie Kaufman, US, 2009, 124 mins
Cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Samantha Morton, Michelle Williams, Catherine Keener, Emily Watson, Dianne Weist
Review by Philippa Bradnock
The DVD release of Synecdoche, New York provides the right kind of insight into this near-indescribable film. Most intriguing is the round table discussion of the movie by five film writers. Their conversation is enthusiastic and informed about writer / director Kaufman's work, and keeps the inevitable sycophancy to a bearable level. It is a reminder of how illuminating it can be to hear thoughtful discussion about a film, and how important the viewer's emotional response is with Kaufman's work.
Also of note is the interview with the diffident Kaufman at the London Film Festival, which shows he is not the withdrawn recluse of Hollywood legend. Other features include some unsettling cartoons which feature farmyard animals and are similar to the cartoons in the film. A pedestrian interview with Philip Seymour Hoffman about his character, Caden Cotard, doesn't really provide much insight. But there is also a fascinating documentary about the making of the film which examines the enormously complicated business of making a film with such a complex set and such a multitudinous cast.
These DVD extras remind one of the imagination and vast sadness of Synecdoche, New York without crushing them under the weight of exposition. They succeed in making one want to watch it again, to re-experience how Kaufman can convey the rush and pathos of a life in such an emotionally convincing manner.
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