This one never gets old and even better: it changes its meaning every time depending on whatever's been going on in your own life lately.
The best film of the 2000's (not kidding) will probably never find an audience beyond the arthouse crowd because everyone else was busy obsessing about The Dark Knight or some shit at the time.
Even a lot of of critics needed a few more years to get the memo. You won't even find this one in a whole lot of "best of 2000's" lists either. Not that it would mean a lot anyway - these lists aren't made up to recommend you great movies. They rather aim at generating ad revenue by way of evoking a sense of nostalgia in most readers. You can't do that with movies they haven't seen.
Yeah, screw that and seriously, if you didn't get the chance back then, do yourself a favor and give this one a try now.
Gotta give a trigger warning for profound existential dread though. If you require your movies to be nice and uplifting, this one's not for you. Better watch Avatar or some sh** instead so you don't run the risk of actually feeling something.
"I will be dying and so will you, and so will everyone here. That's what I want to explore. We're all hurtling towards death, yet here we are for the moment, alive. Each of us knowing we're going to die, each of us secretly believing we won't". - Quote by Caden
In memory of Philip Seymour Hoffman. Synecdoche, New York will always be my favorite.
"There are a million little strings attached to every choice you make. You can destroy your life every time you choose. But maybe you won't know for 20 years... and you may never, ever trace it to its source. And you only get one chance to play it out."
"And even though the world goes on for eons and eons... you are only here for a fraction of a fraction of a second. Most of your time is spent being dead or not yet born. But while alive, you wait in vain... wasting years for a phone call or a letter or a look... from someone or something to make it all right. And it never comes, or it seems to, but it doesn't really. So you spend your time in vague regret... or vaguer hope that something good will come along."
Fun fact: Caden Cotard was named after Cotard's Syndrome, which is a rare mental disorder characterized by the delusional belief of oneself being already dead or putrefying, and it usually begins with psychotic depression and hypochondria.
Supposedly a mind fuck and I’ve seen so many people recommend this movie. I had to look up after the underlying meaning, but that didn’t stop it from being boring af. I did not have fun watching it at all.
It's easy to see why Ebert had this on his all-time list. What an ambitious film! The last two minutes alone are worth the price of admission. The author/director is the same guy that wrote Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Being John Malkovish. This film was similar to those films and far more ambitious.
Depressing enough to make you think for days.Deep dialogues and even if i didnt get everything i liked in any way.
Everyone knows I like existential dread in my coffee, but "Synecdoche, New York" was quite an exhausting experience. The film starts with a seemingly light tone, leaning on surreal humor, but as it unfolds, it grows increasingly bitter, meandering for too long without a clear direction. However, with each subsequent viewing, the dense layers of subtext and foreshadowing reveal themselves, and that's when you grasp the true essence of this cinematic masterpiece. What initially appears as your usual character study gradually morphs into a universal portrayal of a condition that all living beings must grapple with. That is why we’re all Caden, Adele, Ellen, etc.
The film delves into profound reflections on the profound impacts of choice and failure within our limited lifespan, all while blurring the boundaries of identity and gender. It also examines the intricate interdependence between art and artist, each constantly mirroring and controlling the other. These themes offer an abundance of opportunities for open-ended interpretations to ruminate upon for days after each viewing. A cinematic rabbit hole that invites you to ponder the human condition and the enigmatic relationship between life and art, leaving you with an existential aftertaste that is hard to shake off.
"I won't settle for anything less than the brutal truth."
And that same level of honesty is required to appreciate a film like Synecdoche, New York. I can't say I found it particularly entertaining inasmuch as existentially confronting and analytically overwhelming. The themes of the movie are ones that we rarely have courage or desire to wrestle with, but we are confronted with them daily. Synecdoche, New York is the one movie that most of all deserves a rewatch, yet also one that I want to rewatch the least.
I didn't understand this, nor liked it.
Wow, great movie highlighting the themes of life and death and the avoidance of life. Many themes, complicated but wonderful at the same time
This movie was strange for me becuase I was bored in parts, but it was still incredibly powerful emotionally. It's not as coherent as I'd like it to be but it deserves a watch. It's so painful.
This is a great movie!
Synecdoche, New York by Charlie Kaufman is my second favourite film of all time, and it is one that deserves to be interpreted.
This movie is the directorial debut of Charlie Kaufman, who's famous for writing films like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Adaptation and Being John Malkovich and with this film, it's clear that he wanted audience members to be able to develop their own interpretations. He very well could have included a commentary track on his Blu-Ray, but he didn't, and I can understand why he wouldn't exactly want to explain everything.
Synecdoche, New York is a film that's built around themes. There are multiple themes in the film, but each is reincorporated enough times to show a sense of validity towards them. The biggest theme in the film is death, and from that central theme of death stems other themes and ideas that this film conveys. It's not just about death; it's also about the implications of death.
It's about dying with regret knowing that you've wasted your entire life not living.
It's about dying knowing that nobody truly understood you.
It's about dying without having finished your life's work.
It's about death coming unexpectedly and without warning.
Suffice it to say this film is a little depressing, but that's just a by-product of the unflinching honesty that Charlie Kaufman presents in his film.He very well could have sugar-coated it, but then we'd have a movie that's just disingenuous, and this movie not only wants you to be thinking about the characters, but it also wants you to be thinking about yourself.
Everyone in this movie gives a great performance, especially Phillip Seymour Hoffman (RIP). The cinematography and overall directing was outstanding and this definitely a movie I recommend.
As a lot of people here in the comments, i found this movie overwhelming and i don't know why.
... well yes... i do know why.
I read that this movie is complex and complicated but no one says how f***ing hilarious it is!
This is on my list of movies I can appreciate without being able to enjoy them
Powerful and strange from the king of nonlinearity. I need to watch it again but I don't know if I can ever face it.
Too depressing. Not recommended for those who suffer or have suffered depression or other similar illnesses.
Amazing movie, something sad and a powerful message of loneliness. By the way, an incredible cast.
Shout by DeletedBlockedParent2015-06-18T19:39:18Z
I didn't get it, but I liked it.