Synecdoche New York

Even by comparison with his films as a screenwriter such as Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Charlie Kaufman's first outing as director is a singularly inventive affair. As rewarding as it is dazzlingly perplexing, it is the story of theatre director Caden Cotard (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) and his drive to produce his masterwork. Living in Schenectady, New York, Cotard's life is looking bleak. His marriage is faltering, his work is stalled, and his body is beginning to be beset by medical problems. When he receives a 'genius grant' for his work he sees a way of addressing the despair he feels, and moves his theatre company to a warehouse in New York City to embark on an ambitious on-going project, based on constructing a simulacrum of his life.

For all of the film's complexity of ideas and narrative freeform, there's genuine feeling here too, and as an exploration of loneliness and fear of failure the film is outstanding. The stellar cast, seduced by the quality of the original script, are given room to excel, and Jon Brion's restrained, melodic score brings welcome warmth, occasionally softening tragedy to melancholy.
Sandra Hebron