Synechdoche, New York
So, once again, Charlie Kaufman blows my mind.Last night I watched Synechdoche, New York, the latest movie from Writer, Producer and now first-time Director, Charlie Kaufman. And I feel dumb. It makes me glad that I opted for the no-late-fee rental at Blockbuster, because I'm going to need to watch it a couple more times, at least. Kaufman's work is so intricate, so brilliantly crafted, that it operates on a level that's beyond me. I'll need to digest it some more to even begin piecing it together.
I have been a fan of him ever since Being John Malkovich. It was so original, so unlike the typical Hollywood fare, it was like a revelation. And he hasn't disappointed through the others of his that I've seen. But I think that Synechdoche, NY may just be his most brilliant yet.
Strangely, most of the response from Cannes last year was negative. But I can't understand that. Either the critics didn't understand the movie (quite likely) or they don't understand Kaufman (also likely). And it's true that with this movie you have to wait longer for that beautiful Kaufman-esque strangeness, and it's not as overt as in his other films, but it's well worth the wait.
It begins in typical movie fashion, setting up the life of these characters. I won't go into detail; just watch the trailer. And, if you don't have a little patience or you're not interested in fine nuances, one might get bored here (personally, I could watch Phillip Seymour Hoffman do nothing on-screen but eat his lunch, and I would be entranced). It's not until about 30 minutes in that we get a taste of that great surrealist slant that Kaufman put on his films, as one of the characters looks at buying a house, and talks through her fears about buying on her own. Can she afford it? Can she maintain it? She's afraid of dying in the fire. By the way, the house she's considering is actively on fire as she walks through it with her agent.
The real strangeness gets underway as the main character, Caden Cotard, tries to mount a massive play, something important, that speaks an ultimate truth. He rents a huge warehouse in New York and begins to recreate elements of his life, constructing sets of all the places and buildings these things occur. This continues until there is more-or-less a complete New York City constructed inside this warehouse (full-size, mind you), which includes, of course, a replica of the of the very same warehouse.
Well, as the play progresses, Caden realizes the need to have someone play him. Who volunteers but a man who claims to know him intimately because he's been watching him for the past 20 years. It's not until the second viewing that you'll realize that he is, in fact, in the frame occasionally, watching Caden, during the beginning part of the movie.
Work on this play continues for several decades, with thousands of people "playing the part" of New Yorkers continually, living their lives, having relationships, growing old, and eventually dying. Death, ironically, was the original theme of this play.
The major part of this story is Caden's relationships with women in his life. He loves 3 women and because of this, eventually ruins all 3 relationships. These women are, of course, in the play, and Caden directs their relationships with his protagonist, himself. However, in order to achieve authenticity, Caden needs to represent where most of his energy has been expended in the past 30 years, which is the play itself. So, we need to see the actor who plays Caden, direct a massive play, so actors are hired to play the actors who are playing the real people. They all work in that replica giant warehouse, mounting a huge production, which includes a life-sized set of New York City, including a giant warehouse in which people are, presumably, building a set of New York City. How many times this box-in-a-box-in-a-box goes on, we don't know.
There is so much more I could tell about the film, but it's better experienced than told. I haven't even registered all the detail, much less understood it. Safe to say, the film succeeds where Caden's play fails: in being brutal, honest and important. To me, the test of whether a film is good or not, is whether I think about it afterward, or it leaves any lasting impression on me. The critics who spoke about the film on the DVD were influenced very powerfully. Some even said that the spent a week or two in a depression after watching it a few times. I've never heard of a film being that influential.
But structure is where Kaufman's films diverge from the norm. Some say that they have no structure, but Kaufman disagrees. By his own admission, however, he doesn't follow the typical 3-act structure of 98% of the films out there. He says he just disagrees that there's only one way to write a movie.
I am amazed that he can include so much in his films. One of the commentators paralleled the Cotard character with the Jungian theory on personality development. And there really was a relationship to each stage. I'm left wondering if that's coincidental because the character is so fully realized, or was it intentional on Kaufman's part? How does he know so much? At the same time, the emotions experienced by his characters are so accurate and true to life, it seems he has the insight of a hundred lifetimes.
Well, my writing here is inconsistent and rambling, but that's how my understanding is at the moment. Hopefully I have conveyed some of the brilliance in this piece. It's the best I can do with the collected pieces of a blown mind.
Labels: Charlie Kaufman, I love Charlie Kaufman, Movie review, New York, Synechdoche
