Review of Synecdoche, New York (2008) by Spangle — 27 Nov 2014

Synecdoche, New York is undeniably one of the best films I have ever seen and, arguably, one of the best ever made. When I finished this one, I was absolutely floored and was on the brink of tears with my jaw hanging on the floor; I was that moved and that shocked by what I had just watched. Incredibly weird and at times almost unsettling, Synecdoche, New York is a tough nut to crack. However, before moving into my interpretation, let me discuss what I love so much. The direction, for one, is brilliant. Charlie Kaufman truly made his vision for this film into his own and in just one film, he has become one of my favorite directors. The acting is beyond brilliant. Delicate in nature and so artistic, it is just a treat to watch. The set design and writing are both of the highest order just are both impactful in their own unique ways. Truly a beautiful film in every sense of the word.

**SPOILERISH FROM NOW ON**.

Now, this one can mean many things to many different people. I do not doubt that there are many interpretations of this one with all of them being right in their own way. For me, this was a film about life in every form: love, happiness, hope, betrayal, sadness, loneliness, and death, basically every element that make up every single person's life. Not only are our individual struggles not unique, but they are widespread. Everyone will go through all of those things in their life and while it may feel incredibly important to us in the moment, in the grand scheme of things, it means very little if anything at all. However, this sense of importance is what makes life almost like a play. After thinking about what I thought the film meant, I saw a quote by Shakespeare that essentially said that we are all the lead in our play, which is also something mentioned in the film itself. As depicted in the film with the continuous casting of new actors in the protagonist's play and the growing scope of the set, we all come together and play a role in the play that is life. We all mean something different to every person we come across and play many different roles in our life and embody many different personas.

**SPOILERS END**.

But, what do I know? I am probably wrong on some fronts, but hopefully I am correct on others. Overall, this is simply a brilliant film with many different ways of solving it. Just watch it, please.