Synecdoche, New York Review

Synecdoche, New York (2008): A Film by Charlie Kaufman

Charlie Kaufman, the scribe of such refreshing films as "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," "Adaptation," and "Being John Malkovich," can add another incredibly impressive work to his resume. Whether or not "Synecdoche, New York" will be considered his greatest masterpiece is arguable, but I would like to argue for it.

Looking at Kaufman's overall oeuvre, it can be noted that all of his films have to do with the identity, memories, and such horrors as loneliness, death, or more appropriately, dying lonely. "Synecdoche" follows in the footsteps of Kaufman's previous works by introducing us to Caden Cotard, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman. Caden is suffering from some sort of disease that doctors cannot identify, a disease in which the only thing that is known is that he will die. The women he loves eventually leave him because of his depression, his sickness, and his inability to remain faithful to those he is with. Do these women love him or pity him so much as to sleep with him?

From my description, Caden may sound like an unenjoyable, depressing main character. He absolutely is. The key to the character, though, is that you can identify with him, which remains of upmost importance to his likeability. We do pity him, yes. Does that mean we also pity ourselves? Possibly. We all want to be loved, we all want someone to "complete" us, we all want to be good people and satisfy everyone around us. So does Caden.

The story, in short, as to not ruin any of the inventiveness of it or make a futile attempt at the labarynthine plot, is as follows: Caden is awarded a MacArthur Genius Grant and attempts to stage a play in an enormous warehouse in New York City. Inside the warehouse, a replica of New York City is built. The problem is, if there is a replica of New York City in the real warehouse, a replica of the warehouse must also be built, and a replica of that replica, and so on. Caden has actors and actresses play people he knows and interacts with, namely his wives, mistresses, etc. Once again, the problem here is that he must then find actors and actresses to play the actors and actresses playing real people in his life, and so on, and so on, and so on. Get it?

I read in an interview that Kaufman was originally slated to write a horror movie, which eventually developed into this script. Though it would not be traditionally labeled a horror movie, it is incredibly frightening in its exploration of loneliness, isolation, imminence of death, and the nature of identity. The movie provides plenty of humor, most especially from the wonderful performances, but it's not likely to have you clinching your sides as much as chuckling to yourself while you squirm at the uneasy truthfulness of it all. The last few scenes in the movie I will have to watch again to determine exactly what I saw, but the very final scene in the movie is unlike anything else you will see in the movies today. Guaranteed.

Kaufman's movies were never meant to be understood or dissected in a solitary viewing. Watch "Eternal Sunshine" a few more times to obtain the total emotional resonance. Kaufman's directorial debut, "Synecdoche, New York," I suspect, is no different. I have not yet come across a screenwriter with such talent, wit, and human understanding as Charlie Kaufman. He certainly has given David Mamet a run for his money, and with "Synecdoche, New York," I suspect Kaufman finally proves that he is the single most talanted screenwriter working in Hollywood today.

Rating: 4/4 stars

Brand Upon the Brain! Review

DVD Review
Brand Upon the Brain! (2006): A Film by Guy Maddin

The primary function of the movies is to entertain, is it not? This would be where the term "the entertainment industry" is derived from.

"Brand Upon the Brain!," Maddin's homage to the silent film area, is nauseating. I have never been an enormous fan of the abstractness or pretentiousness of avant-garde films such as this. I believe that every film should maintain the capacity to entertain, make us think, and present us with something new every time. Well, one out of three ain't bad. This is my first time seeing a Guy Maddin film. I pray it is not considered his magnum opus.

The film follows around our hero, named (what else?) Guy Maddin. Guy and a group of orphans live in a lighthouse and are constantly watched over by their dictatorial and overbearing mother. Meanwhile, Guy's father, who is elusive and mysterious, works on strange experiments in his basement.

The plot somehow introduces sibling sleuths by the name of "The Lightbulb Kids" and several other quirks, but story doesn't matter here as much as style does.

The frantic editing and pace contribute to the nauseousness of the film. A barrage of sounds and sights (mostly sights) frustrate to an unbearable extent. Characters we care about, or are at least interested in, are an integral part of a successful film. "Brand Upon the Brain!" creates neither. The only noteworthy concept the film maintains is that I can honestly say I have never, ever seen another film like this one.

Perhaps I do not understand avant-garde films, as I seem to be in the minority in my judgement of the film. The film has recieved overwhelmingly positive reactions from critics. That a film like this could ever get made, with such abstract execution, story, and ideas, amazes me. Don't get me wrong - I am glad it exists, and I hope that one day I will return to it to try my best to understand it. For now, however, it remains nothing more than a series of loathsome Freudian lectures set to classical music, narrated by Isabella Rossellini.

Rating: 0.5/4 stars