Review of Synecdoche, New York (2008) by Alvin Y — 02 May 2013

Synecdoche, New York, Great Movies.

I've always admired Charlie Kaufman's work, Being John Malkovich, Adaptation are some of his best movies. Philip Seymour Hoffman has truly outdone himself in this epic. I feel that it is his best performance to date - and yes, that includes the much lauded "Capote". He was mesmerizing, as was the movie. The way Kaufman conveyed the nuances of this story through imagery and the manipulation of perceived time was pure genius. In that way, it parallels Chris Nolan's "The Prestige", wherein the movie becomes the magic trick - this movie becomes an extension of Caden Cotard in every sense. Everyone is an extension of his ego/pathos in one way or another, until he finally realizes, sadly at the end of his life, that *There are nearly thirteen million people in the world. None of those people is an extra. They're all the leads of their own stories. They have to be given their due. Finally understanding that his pain is only a different flavor of what everyone experiences - this is life* it's truly I can confess now, one of the best movies of all time. And RIP Roger Ebert, for giving the movie as the best movie of the 2000's.