Summer guests choice film: Synecdoche, New York

Quotes from the creators
In interviews, Kaufman is often asked about the meaning of his work. That is not surprising, because his films are quite ambiguous and are full of absurd scenes. Rarely, however, does Kaufman reveal anything. Not out of vanity or arrogance, but because he doesn’t want to get in the way of the individual viewing experience. ‘When I write I try to leave enough room for my own interpretation’, he told IndieWire. ‘I try to prevent the film from leading to one conclusion, because then the audience will not be stimulated. They are then prescribed something. I like it better when people can figure things out for themselves and react in their own way. Kind of like a Rorschach test.’

What Kaufman does say in interviews is that his work is almost always autobiographical. Not in the sense that he lives the same life as his characters, but there are always themes in his films that touch him personally. ‘I think all writers are essentially autobiographical. You can hardly avoid it. As a writer, or as a filmmaker, you have to present yourself. And part of who you are is defined by your interests, by what you find funny and sad, or terrible. That personal touch is always reflected in my films.’

Prices
Screened at the Cannes Film Festival Synecdoche, New York in the main competition and the film competed for the Caméra d’Or. At various award shows, Kaufman’s screenplay and Mark Friedberg’s production design were particularly successful. Renowned film critic Roger Ebert, who kept lists of his favorite films until his death in 2013, found Synecdoche, New York the best movie of the noughties.

Out of view
Though Charlie Kaufman is considered one of the most original filmmakers of our time, he often struggles to secure financing for his films. Also much praised Synecdoche, New York brought in less than the film cost. Hollywood started to focus more and more on superhero films and the economic crisis of 2008 also didn’t help. Making his own superhero film seems unlikely to him. Kaufman vs The Guardian: ‘They would never hire me for that. And even if it did, I couldn’t give them anything useful, because my brain doesn’t work like that.’

Because he was having trouble financing his projects, Kaufman decided to write a book. That became Antkind, a dizzying, 700-page book full of dry humor and existential musings. A book that only Kaufman could have written and, like his films, perfectly illustrates how his fascinating brain does work.

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