Synecdoche, New York is a complex and layered film that delves into the mind of a theater director named Caden Cotard, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman. Caden is deeply unhappy despite his successes and struggles with his health, his art, and his relationships with the women in his life.
When Caden receives a MacArthur genius grant, he decides to create a new play that will be his masterpiece. He rents a massive warehouse and hires a large cast to help him build a replica of New York City inside the space. The project becomes increasingly complicated as Caden tries to create a realistic representation of the city, complete with intricate details and functioning plumbing.
As Caden becomes more and more absorbed in his work, he neglects his wife Adele, played by Catherine Keener, who leaves him for a new life in Germany with their daughter. Caden begins a series of relationships with other women, including his leading lady, Claire, played by Michelle Williams, and Hazel, played by Samantha Morton, a woman who sells him a house full of family memories.
Throughout the film, the line between reality and fantasy blurs, as Caden's play begins to take on a life of its own. Actors begin to play real people in Caden's life, and Caden himself is portrayed by an actor played by Tom Noonan. As the play becomes increasingly convoluted, the line between the play and Caden's life becomes increasingly blurred.
The film is a meditation on the nature of art, reality, and identity, as Caden struggles to reconcile his vision with his life. It was written and directed by Charlie Kaufman, the screenwriter behind Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Being John Malkovich, and features a stunning performance by Hoffman, who tragically died just a few years after the film's release.
