TIFF 08: Synecdoche, New York

The North American premiere took place on Tuesday night at the Winter Garden with Charlie Kaufman, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Catherine Keener in tow. The particularly moved Kaufman greeted the crowd with a sincere mention of thanks, and when it came time to the post-screening Q&A the writer-director reminded us that not everything needs to be explained in life and in film. After catching Synecdoche, New York back in May at Cannes, I was looking most forward to re-watching this film since it’s a tough nut to crack that merits a second viewing and plenty of discussion among cinephile peers afterwards. This directorial debut will see the day of light in October via Sony Pictures Classics and perhaps a dialogue can come out of this one – it’s a complex character study that looks at life as a never-ending masterpiece and if you are lucky you had the chance to live a little and not preoccupy yourself with the more darker moments before the final stroke and one’s last breath. There is so much to discuss – this one might be a lengthy review that I’ll upload prior to the release.