Review of Synecdoche, New York (2008) by Arianeta L — 12 Mar 2010

Nothing is easy about 'Synecdoche'. It is one of the most difficult films I've ever seen and also it is very difficult to summarize my feelings about this movie. It's the story of one man's life, a tragic life.

This amazing brain teaser of Charlie Kaufman affected me deeply but I can?t say necessarily enjoyable because it is full of some uncomfortable and not easy tell truths about what means to be human and it touches themes that most movies don?t dare to.

But watching it is a bracing experience, and it's encouraging to know that there are still filmmakers willing to use film as a means of challenging their audiences and picking at scabs that most people would prefer to remain solidly in place.

Philip Seymour Hoffman gives a brilliant performance as his character attempts to create a play of realism and honesty. His play, inside a warehouse where he has reconstructed New York City for people to live their ordinary lives, becomes a fruitless and maddening descent into unhappiness and destruction.

Unfortunately "Synecdoche, New York" maybe will not find a big audience but if you're willing to go into it with an open mind, you might just find yourself amazed.