Review of Synecdoche, New York (2008) by Marcus W — 25 Dec 2010

Charlie Kaufman is probably the most famous screenwriter in Hollywood. âBeing John Malcovich,â? âHuman Nature,â? âAdaptationâ? and âEternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mindâ? are all magnificently unique and innovative pieces of art that have been dubbed âKaufman filmsâ? over their directors. George Clooneyâ(TM)s debut directorial gig with âConfessions of a Dangerous Mindâ? earned some recognition for the director as well, but on the other hand the script wasnâ(TM)t quite as âKaufmanâ? as the flicks mentioned above.

So itâ(TM)s really no surprise that the master storyteller has now made an actual âKaufman filmâ? and delivered his own text to the silver screen by himself. With Philip Seymour Hoffman leading and a cavalcade of Hollywood art film veterans supporting, the mix sounds foolproof. Kaufman hasnâ(TM)t put all his fate in these quality ingredients as one might assume though. With âSynecdoche New Yorkâ? he takes more risks than ever before. What begins as a quirky and slightly surreal family drama turns into a wild dream that fearlessly eludes reality itself.

This is a completely absurd psychological journey that to be honest felt tedious at times, but was just so perfectly dreamlike that it kept me completely engaged even through all the apparent pointlessness. Looking back I loved it, and will most definitely see it again to get immersed in the mystery. I hope Kaufman is here to stay as a storyteller, because his is a truly unique voice, and one backed by talent and good old fashioned guts.