A Critical Analysis of Charlie Kaufman’s Synecdoche, New York
Overview of Director’s Background
Not many films depict life the way that Charlie Kaufman’s Synecdoche, New York does. In this film, the director focuses on the concept of solipsism and in so doing intends to dispose of the harmful ideation of “the other”. In the film, solipsism specifically focuses on the attitude and notion that on the mind of an individual is certain to be existent and that the perception held by a person relating to events and reality is the only truth and certainty. This is closely related to objectivism, a belief that one’s own pursuit of self interest is the sole moral commitment to which all humans are bound (Evans, 2014). The strangeness of the human existence is what drives Charlie Kaufman (2008) to the film Synecdoche, New York. The director is keen on reminding the audience that despite a setting of a world that is somewhat normal in comparison to our world, the truth is that anything could happen. This is Kaufman’s first film both as a writer and a director. It narrates a personal perspective on what life is about as an artist struggling in the crowded film industry.
The Film’s Connection to Other Sources of Art
Art is a wide term that has meant different things to different people over the course of history, and it is perceived differently by the people for whom it was intended to impress. Art is a universal language that transcends cultural, temporal, and linguistic barriers to communicate. It addresses a variety of themes and issues that ail a society. Art can be defined as a way of telling an individual story, a concept that is critical to filmmaking. Like every other source of art, Kaufman’s Synecdoche, New York speaks to human emotions by a telling a story that connects with the audience on different levels. The beauty of a film such as Kaufman’s Synecdoche, New York is that it can be interpretated in a variety of ways by different audience members, thereby meaning something different to each one. The story told in this film relates differently to people.
The concept of realism, certainty of the same, time, actions, attitudes and what constitutes of our world is challenged in this film. It connects to other sources of art in a way that it invokes deep thought into what the director intended to pass across. Kaufman’s Synecdoche, New York also showcases how filmmaking uses skills that are unique to the craft, introducing other artists and professionals to improve the overall film. The film connects to other sources of art like the invention of paintbrush through how it employs professionals and other artists to ensure that shoot scenes, sound, production, distribution, props, visual effects, editing, and color grading are all up to expected standards. It uses tools from other forms of media and art to create a unique experience for the audience. For example, there is a connection between Adele’s occupation as a painter and Caden being a different artist focusing on theater and cinematography. As Caden’s life slowly distances from that of Adele, even their art forms separate to a great extent.
Blurry Boundaries between Fiction and Reality
Kaufman’s Synecdoche, New York is partly all bout the blurring of the thin line that separates reality and fiction and the imminent dangers of this association. Ironically, the film, in itself, blurs the same line between fiction and reality. Even in its name, the film intends to challenge basic human thinking. A synecdoche describes when a section or part of something represents a whole. For example, the expression “lend a hand” uses a part of the body to mean the entire body. By building a copy of New York in a massive warehouse, Caden, a theatrical director, acquires an enormous quantity of money that gives him artistic freedom. Caden’s deterioration and disorientation lead to plays within plays and the blurring of the barriers between fiction and reality.
The film is ideally and increasingly committed to challenging the idea of realism and what it means to different people under different conditions. Kaufman manipulates time, speeding it up as often as he likes further increasing the effects to Caden. The effect is that Caden exhales despair with each breath as he nears his death. Deteriorating health, consciousness, relationships, and all forms of the things that connect people to others, Caden is increasingly becoming isolated and unaware of the world around him. Among other artistic components, Synecdoche, New York is all about finding authenticity, and this includes the search for the authentic self in a world that is highly inauthentic. Caden intends on creating an artistic piece that will not only justify the award given to him but also quite his partner’s criticism and mocking. It also addresses his own restless doubt and obsession that has become self-consuming. As he develops his story, line by line and actor by actor in his life-size endeavor, nonfiction and fiction begin to blur. The representation now takes dimensions that are reality-like to a point where they can replace reality. Caden creates his own world so perfectly that he no longer fits or even remembers how the real world operates.
The Concept of Synecdoche
Surrealist concepts influenced Charlie Kaufman’s Synecdoche, New York. It examines daily worries and issues and covers a wide range of philosophical topics, from individual defects to the ruin of society (Perry, 2020). The movie speaks to everyone. Synecdoche, New York can help everyone who wonders what the aim of another day, decision, or creative endeavor is. To understand surrealist ideas, the film shows that one must first understand its central theme: consciousness and the concept of realism. The conscious is where we keep our memories, thoughts, and motivations. They can be recalled at any time. The subconscious, on the other hand, holds memories, processes, and motives that can’t be seen or heard. The subconscious can be known and made visible, brought into the light through remembering. The unconscious, on the other hand, contains the automatic processes that are based on our genes and natural processes.
There is a lot of misery and anguish in Synecdoche, New York, but it also has a lot of various possible interpretations. One individual believes it’s a “crypto zombie film,” while another believes it’s all in Caden’s brain right before he passes away. The fact that Kaufman’s film is so thought-provoking is a clear clue that it’s a terrific picture. As a character, Caden is flawed for sure, yet, this is a reflection of how every human is (Perry, 2020). The representation of Caden in the film only goes to demonstrate how we are all as a species. This is the concept of Synecdoche. It is where a small part is used to represent a whole. It also works in the other way around where something larger represents a smaller component of the same. That is exactly what Caden is in the film. Similar to other humans, Caden is walking through life, trying to figure out what the world is all about, making mistakes, and trying and failing to make things right. Caden is like every other person. In the film, he comes out as selfish and imperfect, but not bad person. He’s just a small part of a bigger whole, like everyone else.
Brecht’s Fourth Wall and its Relation in the Film
Epic theater breaks the fourth wall, which is the imaginary wall that separates the actors and the audience. This makes the audience part of the show. They are part of the theater experience because they aren’t able to turn off their minds during the show. Brecht made it plain that he wanted his audience to be engaged and interested in the play, or else his message would be missed. He sought to keep the characters from becoming emotionally involved. Breaking the fourth wall is important in this film because of how it detaches itself from reality. It intends to eliminate the disbelief in the movie that occurs right from its onset all the way to its end. Breaking the fourth wall is also a tool that Kaufman uses to communicate important information and to evoke deeper and more connected emotions between the viewer and the film characters. A lot of distortion and illusion come from a representation of Caden’s real life within the film as reality, yet it is so unreal to the viewer and normal for other characters. The effect is that the one viewing is forced to accept that what the film presents as real is a distorted version of everyday life (Evans, 2014). The film makes use of infinite regression where there is scene within a scene within another and so on. The physical space seems to be the same for every distortion despite how the different scenes and maps fit within each other. For example, Dianne West plays Millicent, then plays Ellen, played by Caden, and later exchange roles with Millicent to act as Ellen and be Caden at the same time.
The Concept of Death in the Film
The film has a very dark and obvious obsession with death right from its start to the end. Caden is aware that he, alongside every one else, will pass on. He views death as an inevitable process. Kaufman puts Caden through the wringer in his bizarre, expressionistic directorial debut. Gum surgery is performed on Caden. He later loses his natural capacity to salivate or weep (Saxena & Spears, n.d). His eyes have ceased to work properly. Random spasms irritate him, and his left leg soon develops a permanent twitch. He’s been referred to a seemingly infinite number of physicians and experts. They provide appointments but no treatment. Caden, on the other hand, is dying. Slowly. There is a feeling of death throughout the film. Physical death combined with the death of relationships.
Caden uses a meta-play inside a play that portrays an artistic journey that has gone on for so long that characters are dying and the entire set is in disarray. It is not clear whether the world on his stage is what is collapsing or the actual world. There is a hint of Manhattan being in a kind of dystopian setting. Hazel’s house is on fire as a further exploration of the concept of death (Perry, 2020). The constantly burning house is a whimsical and bold symbol of the fate of Hazel and that of others’ inevitable ending. Death in this sense is also a synecdoche, a small part of people’s lives symbolizing that of a whole.
The Art of Theater and its Representation in the Film
Art engagement isn’t limited to one-on-one interactions. Only a few venues in our culture allow individuals to come together and share an experience despite having differing perspectives on the world. It makes no difference whether we agree or disagree on the experience. It is critical that we agree to share any experience at all. Disagreement is welcomed and celebrated as a crucial component of the creative process in art and other kinds of cultural expression. In this sense, arts and entertainment may serve as a source of inspiration for politicians and activists seeking to break through the division and stigmatization that characterizes today’s public debate. In the film, the art of theater is used to bring out the difficulties of how film connects with the audience. It is also a way to break the fourth wall. It creates meaningful connections that force the viewer to understand exactly what is happening.
Personal Understanding of the Film’s Ending
Caden’s sacrifice, in my opinion, comes at the end of the film. It is critical for him to be able to comprehend the perspectives of others in order to comprehend himself. In the end, it turns out that Caden’s preoccupation with death can only be satiated by attempting to establish a connection with another individual. His life-size drama was just a means for him to escape from his real life, allowing him to passively observe it from a safe distance. Once he makes the decision to live as someone else, he will be able to accept himself and live in peace for a brief period of time. In life’s processes, people often compartmentalize the individuals in their lives and dictate how they should behave for their own benefit. Because it is impossible to compel them to obey societal goals, people are forced to deal with mental projections of themselves on others who are of different perspectives. However, they will be defiant and have their own agendas. this, in mu understanding is the conclusion made in the film. That, at times, contradictory versions of ourselves exist.
References
Evans, J. (2014). Figuring the global: on Charlie Kaufman’s Synecdoche, New York. New Review
of Film and Television Studies, 12(4), 321-338.
Kaufman, C. & Jonze, S. (Producer), & Kaufman, C. (Director) (2008). Synecdoche, New York.
United States: Sony Pictures Classics.
Saxena, I., & Spears, R. M. Synecdoche, New York-An Investigation of Being.
https://ishaansaxena.github.io/assets/files/Synecdoche,%20New%20York%20-%20An%20Investigation%20of%20Being.pdf
Perry, A. (2020). Surrealism in Charlie Kaufman’s Synecdoche, New York. Available at
https://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/bitstream/handle/123456789/202574/2020PerryAlexander-combined.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y