Charlie Kaufmans films seem to defy easy classification in critical conversation. With their fractured narratives and willingness (if not eagerness) to warp reality as suits him, many are stymied in attempts to decipher his intentions. So lets make this simple: Synecdoche, NY is a horror film, and a great one. But where most horror is concerned on the visceral, physical level (i.e. I would prefer not to be stabbed but here is a stabber person coming to do just that, oh no I should run away) Kaufmans films worry about the intellectual concerns that can erupt and destroy lives as handily as any psycho killer. Kaufman characterizes these fears in the decline of one man, Caden Cotard (Phillip Seymour Hoffman, never better). Caden is riddled with diseases that slowly shut down his body functions in cruelly hilarious ways, and if that werent enough, his personal and professional lives are steady streams of disappointment and failure. As he attempts to produce a perfect recreation of his own life as a stage show, he disappears into layers of self-reflection and self-destruction, falling victim to a classic artistic malady: He is so busy interpreting his life that he forgets to actually live it. The final movement of the film is a non-stop downward spiral of shame, dementia and regret, and Kaufman is utterly merciless in his destruction of this man. And theres no relief as the conclusion draws close, no last-minute reprieve. Just the voice of a former bit player (Dianne Wiest) elevated to a God-like level of control, a voice that is soothing but merciless as she delivers the final command. MOST HORROR MOMENT: Caden visits the daughter he hasnt seen in decades and discovers that shes a tattooed, German-speaking lesbian on her deathbed. The final meeting does not go well.
Brendan Foley is a pop-culture omnivore which is a nice way of saying he has no taste. He has a passion for genre movies, TV shows, books and any and all media built around short people with hairy feet and magic rings. He has a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and Writing, which is a very nice way of saying that he's broke. You can follow/talk to/yell at him on Twitter at @TheTrueBrendanF.
