‘Synecdoche’ dives into the surreal

‘ ‘ ‘ Synecdoche (‘si-nek-duh-kee’): 1.’ ‘ ‘ A literary device where a part represents the… ‘ ‘ ‘ Synecdoche (‘si-nek-duh-kee’): 1.’ ‘ ‘ A literary device where a part represents the whole, or vice versa. 2.’ ‘ ‘ Charlie Kaufman’s mind-blowing new film. ‘ ‘ ‘ In ‘Synecdoche, New York,’ Caden Cotard (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a talented but patently unhappy New York theater director, begins to suffer from physical and mental abnormalities just as his artist wife Adele (Catherine Keener) decides to take their 4-year-old daughter and leave permanently for Berlin. ‘ ‘ ‘ Soon after, Caden becomes the recipient of the lucrative MacArthur genius grant, which gives him the funds to build a life-sized replica of a part of New York in a warehouse (the most obvious synecdoche of the film) and put on a theatrical production of unimaginable scale and complexity. ‘ ‘ ‘ That’s where the easy description ends. ‘ ‘ ‘ The empirical elements of the film are, however, impeccable. ‘ ‘ ‘ Hoffman is amazing in his subtle yet intense depiction of harrowed artist Caden Cotard. ‘Synecdoche’ spans more than 20 years of Caden’s life, and Hoffman ages and evolves right alongside his character, never with so much a whiff of artificiality. The film focuses so squarely on Caden ‘mdash; on his subtle psychosis, on the progression of his various illnesses and especially on his existential miasma ‘mdash; that only a powerhouse performance could have made it all work. ‘ ‘ ‘ Luckily, Hoffman delivers in spades. The supporting cast follows suit, with particularly strong performances from Samantha Morton as Caden’s tragic lover Hazel (who lives in an eternally burning house) and the stoic, amazing Dianne Wiest as a character introduced so deeply into the film that her character’s identity is almost impossible to ascertain. ‘ ‘ ‘ In addition, the cinematography of ‘Synecdoche’ is sharp and effective. Kaufman interestingly avoids framing certain scenes in the manner that would be most obvious. Often presenting the thrust of a scene will be shown in a quick cutaway shot outside the expected scope of the scene. This reveals the film’s reality to the audience in much the same way that Caden perceives it (without going so far as to use a first-person perspective), which tightens some of the distance of the third-person camera and allows the film to delve even further into Caden’s psyche. ‘ ‘ ‘ But it is the thematic elements of the film that are simply beyond description in a short review such as this. Pages could be written simply describing the events of the film, as each scene seems to add a completely fresh and unexpected layer. Caden’s big theatrical production is initially supposed to be a true expression of reality, but quickly morphs into something of an immediate retelling of his own life ‘mdash; by the end of the film, there is not only an actor playing him in his production, but another actor playing the actor that plays him. ‘ ‘ ‘ This is all in an effort to express deep truths about the human condition ‘mdash; the absurdity of inactivity, the impossibility of true expression and the looming shade of mortality ‘mdash; through play that so clearly reveals these truths in Caden’s own life. ‘ ‘ ‘ While this sounds incredibly complex, Kaufman’s absolute mastery of his craft keeps the film well within his control, never going off the deep end into completely surrealistic territory and always keeping the focus on Caden’s internal and external struggles. The commentary and thematic expression in ‘Synecdoche’ are strikingly subtle, though, never becoming preachy or heavy-handed. ‘ ‘ ‘ Perhaps the most amazing aspect of ‘Synecdoche’ is its almost-overwhelming emotional poignancy. At no point does Caden lose his humanity or relevance in the complexity of the film, nor does his melancholy and intensity ever become suppressed by the film’s sprawling scope. The unconventionality of the film works in its favor here, as the viewer’s complete inability to predict what will happen next ‘mdash; not necessarily in the context of plot, but in the sense of the nature of Caden’s next tribulation ‘mdash; keeps the viewer vulnerable in the best way possible. ‘ ‘ ‘ The film’s only truly negative point is that it is a great deal to digest in one sitting. However, this is not because the film is hard to understand but merely because there is so much to the film. It lends itself to repeat viewings rather than interpretive frustration and certainly has an immense impact even the first time around. ‘ ‘ ‘ Most know Kaufman from his elegant, quirky films of the last decade (‘Being John Malkovich,’ ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’). While those films all included surrealist elements, such as memory erasure in ‘Sunshine’ and body inhabitation in ‘Malkovich,’ ‘Synecdoche’ takes this style much further ‘mdash; although it does not quite reach the disconnected, imagery-heavy quality of well-known surrealists like David Lynch. Instead, ‘Synechdoche’ inhabits a middle ground that makes it almost inscrutable. ‘ ‘ ‘ However, ‘Synechdoche’ is ultimately a musing on time, death and expression ‘mdash; all subjects with nuances and meanings even more inscrutable than the film’s style. As with everything in ‘Synechdoche,’ these elements all come together to create an ethereal, transcendent and extraordinarily relevant experience that must not be missed.