Review of Synecdoche, New York (2008) by Larryb — 12 Sep 2009

This film is beautiful. It has captured the workings of the mind over the course of a life, magically compressed into roughly two hours. Of course it is sad. People who complain about how 'depressing' it is have no interest in film as an illuminating art form; they only want shallow escapism.

So, the film isn't for everyone. Yet it is not just sad. It also illustrates the humor of its situations perfectly. After all, comedy is tragedy flipped upside down. This movie is not a head trip for the sake of being a head trip, as some claim.

It is sensitive in its exploration of the psyche. It does have a heart. It's just that the heart gets broken.