I watched Synecdoche New York on Sunday evening and had to revisit the second half on Monday, as I knew this film had left me with a real something, but the sleepiness which had crept in blurred Kaufman’s metaphors into something no more intelligible than a piece of pasta hugging a paper clip. Not that I’m anti this, but I could see that there was something more linear and, shall we say at the risk of sounding poncy, theoretical to appreciate.
“simultaneous understanding”
synecdoche is when you refer to a part of something to refer to the whole
I watched this film and I was absorbed
The characters seemed real in their eccentricities and their despairs and the humour of the film was on my wave
I laughed at the burning house 
and the daughter Olive talking about being given drips of water and tiny pieces of pizza.
I felt lonely seeing Caden cry before sex and at Sammie’s presentation of him.
When Caden takes on Ellen’s role as a cleaning lady it really got me, seeing the deterioration in his already fragile state.
Although this is dark, I took relief from the fact that the world is essentially a stage, and the role you adopt is not necessarily type casted out. You can choose your own place, and what a different world/film Kaufman would have portrayed had he chosen to allow his characters to explore essentially happier, but maybe more forced roles.
The burning house presents Hazel with the fear that it will kill her, and in the end it does. This made me think about self fulfilling prophecy and how although one might think who would choose to die in a burning fire? at least Hazel controlled this by allowing her worst fear to be actualized, which actually maybe freed her, or maybe not!
Carl Jung – I like this theory
Waking and Dream states are both necessary in the quest for meaning – Yep
4 stages to Individuation – Self-Realization
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becoming conscious of your shadow (recognizing both your constructive and destructive sides) when Caden hires Sammy, he learns of his true personality
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becoming conscious of your anima and animus (men become conscious of their female component and women become conscious of their male component), Caden replaces himself with Ellen
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becoming conscious of the archetypal spirit (where you take on your mana personality), think of becoming one with universal life energy
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and finally self-realization(where a person is fully aware of the ego and the self) When Cadenrealises the truth about his life and loves he dies – ach
Far from the worst film I’ve ever seen, could potentially ruin your life if you allow it, but I already let Clerks 2 do that
Becksie's Blog 