I can't decide if I like or really don't like this movie. Given that, I have no real idea how to approach writing my thoughts about this movie. I suppose that is the point.
'Synecdoche, New York' made me laugh, made me sad, it upset me and every emotion in between. For that I do give it credit.
This movie's meaning is up for interpretation and it's definitely a strong piece of art in that respect. I can't help but feel as if the creators of this film tried suuuuper hard to make this like, a really deep film, so much so that it almost feels like comedy.
Again I do give it credit. This movie seems to be about the absurdity and confusion of life. So, the feeling that I get that, this movie is purposefully trying to be super deep and philosophical, actually does make the film a lot more clever, in a way.
In this life, we are all trying to set ourselves apart and maybe make our mark on the world. 'Synecdoche, New York' doesn't really hide from the fact that it IS trying to blow your mind. Like the whole time the movie is like trying to literally tell you that 'THIS IS A DEEP MOVIE AND YOUR MIND SHOULD BE BLOWN!'
The more I think of that, I actually kind of like that aspect of this film. The sheer honesty is kind of awesome. It's almost vengeful, even. A lot of movies try to be slick and send messages and meanings in more of a smoother, graceful fashion. This movie almost says to the watcher and to the universe that 'yeah, this life is confusing, so what.'
As soon as I think this movie is meaningless, I find meaning. While this is not too rare of an accomplishment in a movie, this movie does do a clean job of that. This movie is absolutely artsy, but it is juuuuuuust acceptable enough not to make you want to roll your eyes, too much anyway.
This movie is unforgettable, yes. But it doesn't leave me feeling good. It doesn't leave me feeling bad. The whole time it feels sort of lukewarm with spots of joy and jarring spots of drama, horror even.
This movie is not inspiring, but it is an authentic sort of slap in the face. It is super jumbled and my jaw was on the floor the majority of the film. Not in an 'Inception' sort of way, but in a unique way. My jaw was on the floor because of the sheer chaos of the whole thing.
This movie gives you that feeling of 'Oh, what a mystery life is, let's just enjoy it and love each other, we are all gonna die someday anyway' - yadayadayada. But just the sheer honesty is wild, but it's more than that too. As clever as the film tries to be, and is, it also is self deprecating. So many quotes just point out or even expresses bluntly that it has no idea what is going on. Like, it really feels like the person that made this movie doesn't even know what type of movie it is making.
I found the doctors not knowing a thing about how to treat Caden quite hilarious. Caden has a weird moment, almost an argument, between him and the doctor debating whether or not the eyes are a part of the brain, or not. Soooooooooooooooo funny. People everywhere trust whatever a doctor says without question and well, that's a discussion for another day.
None of us really know anything, none of us know what we are doing.
I also loved the Pastor's speech towards the end I believe. The Pastor did a great job. He seemed both passionate and convinced, while also seeming vulnerable and deeply confused. That's life man. This movie just captures the confusion that is life.
Rating this movie feels impossible. I enjoyed it, but can't say I loved it either. Hmmmm.
My rating are likely going to vary over time as I watch and 'rate' more films. My ratings are not like, serious rock solid ratings. More just to give extra context about how I generally feel about the movie, to go along with my writing. Years from now, as I get a baseline or whatever, I imagine I can more accurately 'rate' films based on my own opinion. If that makes sense. If it doesn't make sense oh well, I'm just having fun LOL.
Rating this film in particular, is really really difficult. But overall, it was a pretty good film.
The acting is also VERY worth mentioning. Philip Seymour Hoffman was outstanding as well as all the other actors and actresses.
