SYNECDOCHE,  NEW YORK (Dir. Charlie Kaufman)
Synecdoche, New York is another of Kaufman's epic, surreal films - he's best known for writing Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Being John Malkovich. Synecdoche, also directed by Kaufman, is pure surreal goodness. It's sad, extremely sad, and I'll admit I shed a tear at the end, but the artistic vision of the piece is phenomenal, creating some fantastic unforgettable scenes - Hazel's house (which is constantly on fire) and the ending, to name just two.

It's not a film for the light-hearted, and needs serious time and effort to watch, as it does tend to drag on in its later stages. Despite the brilliant imagination of Kaufman, the film seems to enjoy its own griminess, rolling around in the more disgusting parts of the film, and progressing to its eventual ending like - well, like a dying man. Kaufman's directing is decent, but Synecdoche shows us that he's more cut out to be a writer than a director, otherwise too much Kaufman can lead to a slow and distressing film. It's fascinating to talk about when you look back at it, but sloppy directing and a missed opportunity for Philip Seymour Hoffman (the main character) give the film a hopelessness that, as a viewer, is barely watchable.

 ★★★★☆