Alright, so what did you all think?
This movie was an absolute trip. I'm excited to hear what everyone has to say!
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I adore this movie. It's simultaneously my favorite Charlie Kaufman film and my favorite PSH film (and I think that's pretty directly related). Like most of you guys, I also didn't really grasp how grand this film was in the beginning, but after multiple viewings, I've come to the conclusion that this movie is a masterpiece. One of my favorite things about this film (of which there are many), is how differently it can be interpreted. On my first viewing, I saw it as a deeply sad and depressing movie about a man losing touch with everything he cares for. On my second viewing, however, I saw it as a quirky and slightly humorous take on how one can become too enveloped in one's work. Both of these interpretations seemed to nicely fit within the context of the film. Another thing I loved about this movie is the amount of detail. Most of it I didn't notice until I saw the YMS videos on Synecdoche New York, but watching it again after viewing YMS's videos was an amazing experience. Kaufman put so much detail on seemingly unimportant things (e.g. the grey background before the end credits, the background music, the casual way in which time passes so quickly). Knowing about all of these little things truly enhanced my later screenings. Lastly, Phillip Seymour Hoffman's acting in this movie was amazing. He perfectly took on the life of Caden, and I must say (again) that this is my favorite PSH film. Hoffman nails the subtleties that allow for Caden to be such a multifaceted character. Because of Hoffman's acting, the movie can be seen with so many different interpretations, and Hoffman's acting also really allows for Kaufman's subtleties to shine. The audience deeply feels for Caden, and they see through his eyes just how quickly the world changes, but it is still up to the audience, not Caden, to interpret if this is for better or worse. I'm sorry for how poorly formatted and ramble-y this got, but I love this movie and most of it is due to much smaller things that most other movies lack. The attention to detail in this movie is incredible (it reminds me a lot of Haneke actually), and because of this I still feel like I've missed so so much.
I have been waiting all week for this discussion thread. The movie was amazing, absolutely incredible. I had to watch it more than one time for sure just to understand all that was going on within the movie. It strikes me as one of those stories that leaves the interpretation up to the viewer. The beautiful of the film is the numerous different ways in which it can be understood. For me, I'd say that his obsession with being alive was the main issue throughout the movie. He wants to record life in all of his intricacies and minutia, but he focuses so much on his life only that he forgets to live it. He also forgets that while he may be the "star" of his own play, so is everyone else. As a result, he's more obsessed with capturing what life is, but he doesn't even seem to understand it himself. I'm reminded of the line: "All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players"
It also has a very surreal vibe, where the lines of reality and the play begin to blur. Some parts didn't make much sense to me though, specifically the whole death scene with his daughter.
Literally the only thing I enjoyed about this movie was a singular line from Catherine Keener's character where she says something like, "Everyone is disappointing, once you get to know them." Beyond that, I thought it was a navel gazing, pseudo-philosophical, pile of steaming garbage.
Love this movie. It's a big, confusing, convoluted look at death, the importance of making the best of your time alive, and artistic expression. Charlie Kaufman is one of my favorites with this, Eternal Sunshine, Adaptation, and Being John Malkovich all being works he's written. This may be his best, however. There's sooooo much you can uncover with this movie thanks to the way it is, so I'm just going to turn everyone's attention to YMS's videos on it. He's not done, and the next video probably won't come up for a while, but these will definitely increase your understanding and appreciation of the movie. EDIT: He does get hung up on a clock in the first video. Don't let that stop you. The series is pretty great at uncovering stuff from the movie.
It's crazy how the women in his life just come and go as if he plays no part in actually building relationships. I guess he's too trapped within himself to notice anything. It is a brilliantly written and directed film, I'll have to watch it again sometime soon!.