Well then… my my my.
Damned if Charlie Kaufman hasn’t made a perfect movie. I honestly do not have the words to explain how deeply this film moved me. America’s greatest living screenwriter seems poised to become it’s greatest living director. I could write about how this movie is an existential masterpiece, about how it touches on all of the most important themes in life, about how it perfects the whole “subjective storytelling” thing, about how it uses layers upon layers upon layers of meaning to pierce the heart of humanity… but really I should just shut up and let the movie be.
If you know me and if you’re at all familiar with this movie then I’m sure you’re not surprised at my reaction to it. It’s no secret that I’m a fan of dream logic and subjectivity and finely wrought characterization. But Synecdoche, New York is more than just an experiment. It is moving. It’s playful and damn serious at the same time. This is the best movie of 2008, hands down. There is an entire world in this movie. It’s such a cliche to say about a movie like this that it gets better with each viewing, that it even demands multiple viewings. But it’s true. This is a remarkable piece of filmmaking and with each viewing one notices more and more and gets more invested in Caden Cotard’s life. It’s not just that you notice the “tricks” on return viewings, the movie actually means more. There are theses to be written on this one, folks. We’ll be talking about it for a very long time. I’m sure I’ll have more to say about it as I let it digest.
The point: see this movie.
