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@tvnerdaran
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"The most personal is the most creative” - Martin Scorsese.
What is a truly personal film? A film that you can relate to? A film that you can identify with? A film that truly knows you? Many of my favourite films have deep themes of humanity and existentialism, but none of them have touched me on such a deep and personal level as “Synecdoche, New York” has. It is by far the most personal film that I have ever seen in my entire life.
“Synecdoche, New York” tells the story of an acclaimed theatre director named Caden Cotard (played brilliantly by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman), who is driven by both ambition and anxiety, as he attempts to craft his magnum opus, while trying to create meaning and fulfilment out of his life and eventual death, so that his legacy will be cemented and he will be remembered long after he is gone. But soon, his life slowly starts to unravel and he slowly starts to lose everything he loves and holds dear to him.
As someone who has struggled with anxiety and self-doubt throughout my life, this film connects with me on such a deep and personal level, because in a way, I am like Caden Cotard. Like Caden with his theatre profession, I’m an aspiring filmmaker with big dreams of artistic success, and like him, I have struggled with worries and anxiety throughout my life. Sometimes and oftentimes in the past, I worried about myself and what kind of person I was and how my actions affected other people. I struggled trying to understand who I am and what kind of person I am on a deep and moral level. Similarly to me, Caden suffers from an identity crisis his entire life, struggling to cope with existential and moral anxiety as he seeks to create a truly significant work of art, while his life slowly falls apart and he starts to lose everyone he loves around him.
Though I am doing much better these days with my worries and anxieties due to loving support my family and friends, I still find a very deep and personal connection to this film that can never be replicated in any other film. This film changed my perspective on cinema and how it can affect the viewer. I can find solace in Caden’s cautionary tale of how worries and anxiety plunge him into the deepest depths of despair.
“Synecdoche, New York” is truly a masterpiece, and one of the greatest films that I have ever seen. We will never see its likes again. It’s truly one of a kind.
By @tvnerdaran
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