Synechdoche, New York is one of the most complex and existential movies that I
have ever seen. First, the word "Synechdoche" must be a phonetic spelling of the city "Schenectady," but who knows if this is correct. Synechdoche, New York stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, and Michelle Williams. It is almost impossible to describe but I will try.
Synechdoche, New York explores the depression of Caden Cotard, a playwright/ hypochondriac (Philip Seymour Hoffman). It all stems from his wife (Catherine Keener), but he knows and the audience knows that she is not the cause of all his problems, although she is quite unsettling. Caden is a morose, depressed theatre director who is convinced that fatal diseases are lurking in his body. He decides to stage a monstrous, ambitious theatrical work that will leave him remembered after he dies. The theatrical work as he's staging becomes confused with the life he is presently living. Hence, he finds himself directing a version of himself through a story that seems to be made up as it goes along.
I think the essence of this movie is one man's search for the meaning of life in the midst of the meaninglessness of life? In order to appreciate the preciousness of life, we must accept the inherent chaos of our lives and the world around us. Existence is what we make of it, and it is the choices we make that shape and define who we are and the lives we lead. Every choice brings with it a million different consequences, some seen and others that go unnoticed.
Watch this movie at your peril because it will challenge you and make you think of how insignificant your life is in the multiverse where you life!