Charlie Kaufman
Charlie Kaufman’s twisted little world
A unique perspective on the works of Charlie Kaufman
Author: Gabriel Laszlo
Charlie Kaufman’s twisted little world
OK, I just watched Charlie Kaufman’s directorial debut for the third time, Syndoche, New York (S, NY), and it was just as F***ed up as the first time. Although this film needs no reference or support from his previous endeavors, my long term admiration and familiarity with this director's achievements is a comfort as I watch. Kaufman playfully scatters a labyrinth of ironies throughout his films. To the newbie, it can be a daunting adventure not knowing that these fantastic interactions were strategically placed to lead to a metaphorically familiar joke.
His film “Being John Malkovich” is marked by a strange premise which is based on the idea of entering the mind and body of one of modern cultures greatest actors. His film “Adaptation” is built on the writing of its own script and the protagonist is the screenwriter writing the movie you’re watching. “Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind” illustrates the unfathomable complications that may arise when given a choice to erase dissatisfying memories. All of the films he’s written have been marked by a very particular “Kaufman” quirkiness and have proved to be the prospective director’s defining (read: best) film.
S,NY was his first stab at directing a film. The protagonist is played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman , a force in his own right. His character, Caden Cotard, has several radical life changes in a short of time that include a divorce, loss of a child and winning a MacArthur Genius grant.
This series of events allows Cotard to embark on a dreamlike escapade of creativity and, at times, promiscuity. It’s not possible to neatly sum up his journey which spans more than 50 years. I was reminded of my grandmother’s “infinity” box, a series of layered mirrors with lights inside creating an illusion of perpetual reflections. There’s a story on top of a story; a set within a set within a set. A film so richly layered it’s easy to lose track of what’s going on.
So, get ready to see the film over and over again. And prepare for it to make less and less sense. It’s so richly layered and textured it’s maddening. I could literally feel myself becoming less sane with each watching. Maddening as it can be it’s usurped Gummo as my favorite film. I’m a product of the American way of life Numb to the core. Gummo was the first film I’d ever seen that actually made me feel something. Forget that the response the film illicited was disgust and horror, I actually felt something and it changed my view of the world. S, NY made me feel something too. And I promise it will do the same for anyone who sees it.