August 18, 2008. in AWARDS CHATTER. For such serious and accomplished artists, Caden Cotard (Hoffman) and Adele Lack (Catherine Keener) live in surprisingly mundane and physically cramped circumstances in upstate Schenectady, N.Y. Caden, who directs a local theater company, and Adele, an adventurous painter, co-exist in a marginal way but seem mentally and emotionally preoccupied, an impression confirmed when Adele tells Caden to stay home while she and their little daughter fly off to Berlin, where she’s having a major gallery opening. Characters age, mutate and transform themselves as Caden tries to play God but is done in at every turn by the simple fact that he’s not cut out for the part. You can destroy your life every time you choose. You only see a tenth of what is true. As with Kaufman's best material, how Synecdoche is told is inextricable from what it means, the way our imagination is useless without the internal translation and delivery system that allows our brains to communicate with our bodies. A1 INT. But maybe you won’t know … PortfolioMind 01:17, 22 February 2014 (UTC) Citations. Suddenly it’s December 2018 and I’m revisiting Synecdoche, New York with a friend who’s writing a paper on Charlie Kaufman, in my junior year of college. Caden, 40, opens his eyes in bed, and groggily looks at himself in the bureau mirror. He runs a successful troupe in Schenectady—so successful that he receives an award … With Philip Seymour Hoffman, Samantha Morton, Michelle Williams, Catherine Keener. 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Synecdoche, New York Like an anxious artist afraid he may not get another chance, Charlie Kaufman tries to Say It All in his directorial debut. The sound of a radio and pots and pans clanging fades in. Get a $5 reward for a movie on us. SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK, the directorial debut of Academy Award® Winner Charlie Kaufman, premiered earlier this year at the Cannes Film Festival and was met with great excitement from both critics and audiences. Significantly crushed by illnesses, the drudgery of life and his failures with women, Caden doesn’t seem like the genius he sees himself as, and the inspiration triggered by the sudden blessing of complete artistic freedom may also be only a figment of his imagination. The best part of this package are three cool clips of the movie itself, from Twitch. At its core a study of a theater director whose life goes off the rails into uncharted artistic territory, it’s the sort of work that on its face appears overreaching and isn’t entirely digestible on one viewing. AFI Life Achievement Award DONATE The American Film Institute is grateful to Sir Paul Getty KBE and the Sir Paul Getty KBE Estate for their dedication to the art of the moving image and their support for the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and without whose support AFI would not have been able to achieve this historical landmark in this epic scholarly endeavor. 'Wonder Woman 1984': Your Biggest Questions Answered, What to Watch on FandangoNOW: ‘Freaky,’ ‘Ammonite,’ Alex Winter’s ‘Zappa,’ Underrated Christmas Movies and More, This Week in Movie News: ‘Van Helsing’ Rebooted, Peter Dinklage is the Toxic Avenger, Gal Gadot Spies a New Franchise and More, R, This one far more existentially apropos. Synecdoche, New York Awards and Nominations. In his review of Synecdoche, New York, Michael Wood points out that sufferers of Capgras syndrome believe that a family member or close friend has been replaced by an impostor (LRB, 11 June).I would also point out that people with Cotard’s syndrome often come to believe that they are dead, or have ceased to exist in a physical sense. Oscars Best Picture Winners Best Picture Winners Golden Globes Emmys STARmeter Awards San Diego Comic-Con New York Comic-Con Sundance Film Festival Toronto Int'l Film Festival Awards Central Festival Central All Events Like an anxious artist afraid he may not get another chance, Charlie Kaufman tries to Say It All in his directorial debut. Whatever the case, Hoffman embodies him completely, forcing the audience to share his every physical and emotional wound. Even before her departure, Caden has begun suffering from a litany of physical maladies as well as the realization that his direction of others’ plays doesn’t allow him room for personal expression. Awards; October 24, 2008; R, 2 hr 3 min Art House/Foreign; Tell us where you are ... Synecdoche, New York Synopsis. I liked the retro warmth and coziness of the old poster too, but it was a bit precious. Like an anxious artist afraid he may not get another chance, Charlie Kaufman tries to Say It All in his directorial debut, “Synecdoche, New York.” A wildly ambitious and gravely serious contemplation of life, love, art, human decay and death, the film bears Kaufman’s scripting fingerprints in its structural trickery and multiplane storytelling. The magnificent sets, which stack independent rooms on top of one another, are the compartments we assign to our life's enterprises. Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Samantha Morton, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Michelle Williams Despite the general air of unpleasantness and anxiety, and the feeling that the film, like Caden, could explode from overloaded circuits at any moment, Kaufman’s venturesome dramaturgy and compelling writing scene-by-scene are enough to keep one’s curiosity piqued. Directed by Charlie Kaufman. The long arcs of Jon Brion’s score go the extra mile to provide emotional continuity to the sometimes quickly changing scenes. Synecdoche, New York is a 2008 American postmodern comedy-drama film written and directed by Charlie Kaufman in his directorial debut. Roger Ebert named it the number one movie of the decade. 1 To really begin to understand Synecdoche, New York you need to know that it started life as a genre film. Synecdoche, New York Critics Consensus. It would be folly to pretend that someone watching it all for the first time could enumerate, or even keep track of, every strand of Kaufman’s doubling process, or make entirely coherent sense out of the life-versus-art, life-as-art, or art-instead-of-life postulations that come into play in the second half. Image dimensions: 1018 x 1500. ENTER CITY, STATE OR ZIP CODE GO. SEE DETAILS, Buy tickets. Earn 125 points on every ticket you buy. ! It’s a hallowed ritual of film culture. At a point, I don’t connect with it. It stars Philip Seymour Hoffman. 2 hr 3 min. We know life happens, so if something comes up, you can return or exchange your tickets up until the posted showtime. A theatre director struggles with his work, and the women in his life, as he creates a life-size replica of New York City inside a warehouse as part of his new play. On the most superficial level, many viewers will be nauseated by the many explicit manifestations of physical malfunction, bodily fluids, bleeding and deterioration. SEE DETAILS, when you spend $25 on participating products. Get your swag on with discounted movies to stream at home, exclusive movie gear, access to advanced screenings and discounts galore. Synecdoche, New York was not a financial success and was met with mixed reviews from the public, but received praise from many film critics. CANNES (Hollywood Reporter) - Oscar-winning screenwriter Charlie Kaufman's first film as a director, "Synecdoche, New York," will mesmerize some and mystify others, while many will be bored silly. Screen Reader Users: To optimize your experience with your screen reading software, please use our Flixster.com website, which has the same tickets as our Fandango.com and MovieTickets.com websites. Charlie Kaufman's "Synecdoche, New York" is a film that boldly tries to illustrate this universal process by using a director immersed in a production of indefinite duration on a stage representing his mind. Along with Keener, who takes off early on, the other actresses shine as the women who both appreciate and tolerate Caden. O, Sarajevo, my Sarajevo! Fandango helps you go back to the movies with confidence and peace of mind. Opens on Friday in New York and Los Angeles. He explains that, “After beginning my first viewing in confusion, I began to glimpse its purpose and by the end was eger to see it again, then once again, and I am not finished.” (Ebert 1). Synecdoche, New York. At the same time, the picture exerts sufficient power and artistic mystery to pull the willing a fair way down its twisty trail, and a first-rate cast led by Philip Seymour Hoffman and some wonderful women provide a constant lifeline even when it’s hard to know what’s going on. "Synecdoche, New York" is not a film about the theater, although it looks like one. Synecdoche, New York tells the story of depressed and down on his luck Caden (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a theatre director who sees no motive or starting point in his life, his wife, Adele (Catherine Keener) is an artist and receives the opportunity to go to Berlin to pursue her artistic ambition, this would also involve leaving Caden and taking their daughter Olive with her. An ailing theater director (Philip Seymour Hoffman) creates an ever-growing replica of New York. Without revealing too much, it can be said that Caden eventually casts an oddball actor (Tom Noonan), who’s tall and thin rather than squat, to play himself in the evolving epic, and, to play Hazel, chooses an actress (Emily Watson) who’s a near-lookalike. Synecdoche, New York Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Samantha Morton, Michelle Williams, ... produced and created by CofC alumnus John Reynolds, a multi-Emmy Award-winning […] High resolution official theatrical movie poster (#1 of 3) for Synecdoche, New York (2008). Viewers’ reactions will depend on how far they’re able to go with the writer-director before either giving up or giving in to his neurotic flights of fancy. Synecdoche, New York After winning a MacArthur Genius Grant, theatre director Caden Cotard (Hoffman) relocates to a giant New York warehouse where … Awards Circuit Video VIP; ... May 23, 2008 7:19am PT. Charlie Kaufman's ambitious directorial debut occasionally strains to connect, but ultimately provides fascinating insight into a writer's mind. Caden notes there are 13 million people in New York City, and “none of those people is an extra. Directed by Charlie Kaufman. A theater director is an ideal character for representing the role Kaufman thinks we all play. BUY TICKETS, Get 2x the points pay with World Elite Mastercard®. SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK. A larger issue will be the film’s developing spin into realms that can most charitably be described as ambiguous and more derisively as obscurantist and incomprehensible. Read Full Synopsis Cast + Crew They’re all leads in their stories, and they have to be given their due.” Perhaps, but they, like Caden Cotard, will write their own scripts. Earn points. Morton captivates as the adoring associate the director loves most, and Watson provides an ideal alter ego. Michelle Williams warmly shades the role of the theater company’s leading actress, cast as Caden’s wife in the theater piece; Hope Davis (who could play Hillary Clinton when anyone decides to do that film) sharply etches Caden’s blunt shrink; Jennifer Jason Leigh disappears into a German accent in a very strange role; and Dianne Wiest comes aboard as a late addition to the New York project. Collect bonus rewards from our many partners, including AMC, Stubs, Cinemark Connections, Regal Crown Club when you link accounts. movie theaters are playing Synecdoche, New York near you. The hero of “Synecdoche, New York” is a theatre director named Caden Cotard (Philip Seymour Hoffman). Stream of the Day: ‘Synecdoche, New York’ Is the Ultimate Primer for Charlie Kaufman’s Next Movie Cannes Edition: Kaufman's gloomy 2008 head trip is not as depressing as you remember. I'm surprised there is no mention of the mondegreen Synecdoche New York for Shenectedy New York which is referenced early in the film as being where Caden lives with Adele. Determined to create a piece of brutal realism and honesty, he gathers an ensemble cast into a warehouse in Manhattan's theater district. Variety and the Flying V logos are trademarks of Variety Media, LLC. Actress Michelle Williams arrives for the premiere of the film "Synecdoche, New York" at the 61st International film festival in Cannes, southern France, on Friday, May 23, 2008. SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK by Charlie Kaufman. Eulogy from Synecdoche, New York (1:47) Everything is more complicated than you think. 3 stars (November 2008) “Synecdoche, New York” (2008) Emotional lines become crossed among these four, with both agreeable and dire results, but a throughline of worry, despair, loneliness and overriding unhappiness is provided by Caden and the fates of those in the tightest orbits around him. Like most of Kaufman's work as a writer, Synecdoche, New York is a head trip that time and again returns to a place of real human emotion--in this case, to the idea that no matter how brilliant we may be or think we are, we're all looking for a little guidance (or, yes, direction) in life. 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