The Genius of Synecdoche, New York (Part 1)

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[@hugooliveira2104]

"this film is a little depressing" the understatement of the year

[@rollacoastaride1937]

the film isn't depressing, it's totally hilarious, but Caden is the most depressing man that ever walked the earth

[@schematicb5393]

It's so depressing that it didnt even make me depressed; I just became numb to it. It was good, but sometimes, it felt like it was overly-dramatic

[@EhCanadianGamer]

@@schematicb5393 I dunno how you can make existing overly-dramatic. It's dull, mundane, and sometimes you wonder what the fuck you're even doing? I thought the film conveyed that well. Just living.

[@headphonic8]

Death CAN be depressing, but it’s a fact we all face. I don’t find it depressing, just honest and tender. Perhaps this characters’ life was depressing to him, but I don’t think the themes inherently were because they speak to the human experiences in all of us.

[@jadeandjesse5908]

@@schematicb5393 I feel like the movie gets to a point when it becomes so exaggeratedly depressing that it plays as dark comedy. To me it becomes evident around the death of Caden's father. The fact that he gave "the longest, saddest death bed speech any of them had ever heard" and then it just cuts to the next scene where the mother says that the cancer left so little of him that they filled the coffin up with cotton balls to stop the bones from rattling, then to a wide shot of the funeral showing a baby sized coffin. Like it's so aggressively sad that the movie knows the audience will turn on it so it's still done with this weird twist of Kaufman's dark comedy. Also, the mother's murder scene never even being cleaned the blood left all over the room during the service is another point where it's so dark that it's almost comedic because if it were anything else it really would be too much.

[@dolores111]

"its about dying without having finished your lifes work." we get it Adam, just release the the rest of the review already!

[@Choekaas]

Some part of me wants Adam to never finish this review to illustrate a point. Every time he mentions "Synecdoche, New York" it will be the "movie I am currently reviewing" for the rest of Adam's life of being a film critic

[@thefeleapz4144]

I’m convinced he’s gonna get part 6 up once 7 years have passed since airing the first part. Someone’s gotta remind him when it happens.

[@samreagan6292]

at this point he has to drag it out so he can make the joke "it's been 17 years"

[@BackPalSA]

@@Choekaas At this point he's still editing Lion King I believe.

[@ModernMedusa]

Oof. Still going.

[@MovieCrackdownMB]

I just finished watching the movie and I didn't understand most of it, but I felt it.

[@dylanjordan4747]

Movie Crackdown just watched it, hardly have a fucking clue what happened, but I've never cried more.

[@thiccolas2505]

Thats the perfect summary of the movie.

[@AdvancePlays]

More accurately, I'd say you understood it perfectly - you just didn't _rationalise_ it.

[@Sh0n0]

AdvancePlays i just cant wait for the anime adaptation

[@eclecticmuso]

Couldn't agree more, this movie did exactly what it needed to accomplish without me even realising it. I had this lingering dread and profound sadness that is still with me now.

[@epikface780]

When Hoffman says "he won a Nobel Prize", I saw it as how our achievements in life won't change the inevitability of death.

[@iain2080]

And now I'm Thinking of Ending Things ends with the main character imagining themselves winning a Nobel prize as they die

[@rileymerino6340]

I also love how he uses it almost as a blessing to Pinter. At first he seems intrigued and perhaps unsettled at the thought of the man dying, but then pivots to, “oh he won the Nobel prize”, as if that granted the character his death; he’s fulfilled his wonderful purpose so it’s not a big deal that he’s now passed on. I think he’s imagining how that accomplishment must have been gratifying and left Harold Pinter content with both life and death.

[@andyzhao7822]

Harold Pinter didn’t die in the movie, he mistook the headline in the paper about his Nobel Prize to be an obituary headline.

[@benlichtnau5658]

yes and the fact the audience had to be reminded he had won the highest honor in his field is telling us how unimportant an award actually is

[@walterwhite8891]

Did anyone else realize that in the beginning of the film, when the radio is on and its a man and woman speaking, the woman had a German accent? the foreshadowing in this movie is incredible. and the topic of discussion was about the "fall". a double meaning including the autumn season as well as the "beginning of the end" as the german woman put it. and to think this movie is full of double meanings, miscues, and misunderstandings is truly mind boggling. truly a miracle movie and my favorite movie of all time.

[@christian6353]

Yes, he basically addresses that.

[@enneff]

The German woman is Keener’s character’s friend, the one who claims Olive is her lover later in the film.

[@JaydevRaol]

Yup

[@annoyedpersistence]

Thank you Walter, very cool

[@blending_in]

Mista hwite is that you?

[@NeckWeck]

The beginning time of the movie is 7:44 which is also the same time Caden dies at the end. The beginning is tied to the end. What the fuck this movie is clever.

[@owlflame]

Is it worth noting that Olive's first mention of the concept of having blood was brought up in the bathroom when she catches her father bleeding? So, in the car, it might be possible that she's saying "I don't want blood" which, to her, might translate to "I don't wanna get hurt." Which fits a lot of what happens to her later in the movie.

[@peregrinecovington4138]

It's also ominous for her to say she doesn't want blood because the viewer knows that eventually she will start her period. She's barely in the film but we see the outlines of a complex psychological profile from the very beginning.

[@spacemen2629]

This movie fucked me up so bad when I was in the most fucked up situation that could be. I never expected it could be worse, but it did. And it was beautiful.

[@UncannyXander]

+Enjoy the Decline Wow you're very cool and very edgy, 2edgy4me

[@spencerflare387]

+Enjoy the Decline It's beautiful if you're old enough to understand it. You'd think the same if you weren't 12.

[@spencerflare387]

Enjoy the Decline Okay...an emo twelve year old that thinks he/she knows what they're talking about. The point of the film flew right over your head. Different perspectives flew right over your head. The concept of time and it being a fever dream flew right over your head. All I can do is sigh.

[@queefmicester1189]

Spencer Flare , , awesome, awesome summary. I think of time like gravity, it is a theory. Yeah It's a real thing but we try to measure it out, and it doesn't seem or ever feel right once you get an actual taste of it (get older). You're right, time does feel like a fever dream. Pink Floyd's-Time, comes to mind.

[@DevyanshBahri]

I’m not sure how you’re calling your situation beautiful. Genuinely curious.

[@Dazidz97]

"Now you are here, It's 7:43. Now you are here, It's 7:44. Now you are; gone."

[@gamemaster2311]

I know how to do this play now...

[@tomimpala]

I am here.... Now

[@nintendude794]

at 7:44, Adam's showing the clock saying 7:44 . What a coinkerdinker...

[@nintendude794]

Joshua Gillespie isn't that redundant?

[@JoshuaGillespieMusic]

Life is redundant. Hunter Short

[@errcncl6877]

My favorite thing about this movie is that every time I watch it I pick up on microscopic little details that add pounds of weight to the story and it's realism. It's crazy how much is absolutely packed into this movie.

[@MegaFriendlyCreeper]

"I never set out to make the movie depressing." I don't believe the guy who wrote Little Person didn't intend on making people sad.

[@laurynbuiatti1418]

I love little person because while the melody and timing of the song is a solemn in nature, the lyrics are sweet and simplistic. It’s a very complex song and makes you feel sad but you’re not sure why and it’s just the piano and the timing of it all. I live it so much.

[@anmircheva1108]

I genuinely cannot believe this. I watched it and tried to understand it but I couldn't. Now that I'm seeing this...all I have to say is that the amount of meaning even in the smallest of details in this film is impeccable. Haven't been this impressed since I saw Mulholland drive

[@miiiikku]

This movie changed my life. For the worse.

[@froggy2991]

Why?

[@bennygaray46]

+Mikhael Taye its depressing as fuck. The first time I went through it really fucked me up.

[@upasna3991]

Bernado Garay me too, haven't been the same since

[@jackiesstories2038]

Amen

[@queefmicester1189]

Watch FIGHT CLUB to pep you back up

[@Icecream24482]

Notice the grey fade-in at the start of the video.

[@MrThuggzBunney]

Yeah haha kind of funny that he threw it in there.

[@CESSKAR]

IT BROKE NEW GROUND.

[@BlizzyFoxTF]

META E T A

[@LuisMartinez-rw2lj]

This is my 10th time rewatching this and I just noticed this

[@tristanmccann6838]

Is any body watching this after “I’m Thinking of Ending Things”?

[@Rikorage]

Yes

[@Horseapple]

oh wow

[@Horseapple]

right on the money

[@Kohouteq]

No. I'm already regretting it. This reaches further than the edge of the cosmos.

[@RandolphTheWhite1]

No. That's not why I'm here.

[@sebastiananzures7398]

Whoa, isn't that old Olive speaking on the radio while young Olive is singing?

[@mattsmith5430]

Hey that's what I noticed! Maybe he'll touch on that in the next couple parts.

[@averyparkway679]

The end ties into the beginning

[@TheTrueCaptainAwesome]

@Angel Guerrero I only just got a chance to watch this last month. To be more clear, I watched it multiple times right after seeing it for the first time last month. And this is very much what I saw. An immense puzzle.

[@matfosil8581]

true

[@astaut2659]

wait wut i cant hear it

[@RealDovamo]

I grew up about 10 minutes from Schenectady. Mohawks is the ambulance service that's been in the area for as long as I've been alive and GE is the massive General Electric plant that still exists in Schenectady, pretty much where Edison originally got his start. Schenectady is also a massively depressing city full of crime so it's definitely suiting as their location for this movie lmao.

[@crybirb]

Just finished watching, fuckin Adam, I could give you a fuckin hug, the last line of the review broke me into pieces. This has been one of my favorite movies of all time and Kaufmann is one of the most awesome person to produce content these days, I can say your review is right on point with a lot of things I thought (besides being only on the early part of the movie without a lot of the existencial things coming later) and I'm anxiously waiting for the next video. Keep on dude, you're pretty fuckin awesome.

[@MountainTaoist]

I still say this is the single best representation of the human experience Ive seen on film, a true masterpiece, cool to see an analysis.

[@peregrinecovington4138]

Imo the best representation of the human experience is Children of Men but this is a close second

[@SimonRobeyns]

its probably the best movie i've ever seen i can't believe it's so underappreciated, it changed my view on life forever

[@ralphintheshadowrealm7002]

Simon Robeyns films that tend to be like that are dismissed as pretentious so people don't have to think about what the films saying

[@chaseblauvelt7008]

I can't speak for anyone else, but I really didn't like this movie. Not because of the darkness and no Daniels not because it's difficult to grasp. I enjoy and or agree with the very Buddhist x Stoic x existentialist ideas in the movie, but the way it presents them is very pretentious. Its got all of these pretty much meaningless literary allusions and tiny details which contribute way more than they should to understanding what the fuck is going on. The movie certainly isn't fun to watch and ,while it has themes and messages which I myself passionately share with others, it somehow manages to both not communicate them clearly and communicate them extremely heavy handedly. Compare it to the matrix which shares the difficult idea that your very perceptions may be lying to you in a way that captivates even younger people and exposes them to ideas never considered AND to now iconic characters. I'm not saying you shouldn't enjoy the film, I'm just saying why someone might not. Besides all this, it might just not get much exposure considering I never hear people talk about it outside of circles of film geeks

[@MattrickBT]

@@chaseblauvelt7008 There are a great very many people who simply cannot tolerate a film where constant forward progression isn't the top priority. These are people who watch a fantastic, contemplative character piece and say "nothing happens in it" because character is the driving force instead of plot. With the way time works in Synecdoche, New York, someone trying to follow it solely by plot is going to get lost and confused because all those scenes that tell audiences that A leads to B and B leads to C are just A becomes D. For the average movie watcher who doesn't see much beyond a story with visual aids, Synecdoche, New York would be a nightmare to them.

[@matthewuzhere]

@@MattrickBT Which is what I did and it was a mess. Adam's videos are really helping me understand it thought. I’m really excited to go back and watch it again with a new perspective.

[@ab8jeh]

@@chaseblauvelt7008 tiny details are for people that pay attention. Edit: I'm sorry this sounds blunt, but it's true. Life is about the tiny details too.

[@thattimestampguy]

0:00 2nd favorite film of all time 1:13 Built around Themes 1. Death 2. Regret 3. Dying Before You’ve Finished Your Work (part of everyone’s life) 2:34 Olive singing about her home of Synecdoche 2:54 Music Drowned out 4:07 The end is built into the beginning Greyish to opening End -> Beginning -> End You could be buying your last thing, doing your last thing. Synecdoche • Cleveland won by 6 runs (not all of Cleveland, The Cleveland Indians) He is attempting to make a film that anyone can experience and connect to. A story that strings all together. Universal 6:16 Human Experience - Struggle Into Existance - Struggle With Time. Being killed by time * _Layered levels of detail_ Time Slipping 8:02 Autumn Day 🍂 • Uncompromising Honesty (Authenticity) 8:49 Adele coughs -> Adele dies of lung cancer 9:26 Adele & Caden: Non-chalance vs Over-Obsession (Either; Or, 2 Ways of Being) 10:23 Caring For You • Therapy Visits • Every heart has its own suffering 😭 11:18 Skynews clip reference • Caden’s Paranoia/Obsession with Death 12:19 September 22nd, October 8th, October 15th, _Life In A Dreamlike State_ Kid - so slow Adult - so fast Halloween, December 13:42 Cotard Syndrome 14:14 Film Imagery presented with things intentionally missing 15:29 Pipes Smoking House tubes Body pipes Capillaries “I don’t want blood” repeated 🩸 Problems - Ignoring the problem Visual change makes life go longer. New things make life longer. 18:55 The Struggles of Living Knowing you are stuck inside your own perspective 19:45 Part W

[@MegaMrDT]

We all know that books are something you read and interact with alone, nobody sits down and reads the same book with someone. This feels like a film that should be watched and interacted with alone, it's not like other movies you go to the cinema with your friends to watch. This will be a personal experience for every viewer.

[@orangecatanimations3565]

Hey Adam, I normally don't comment on videos, but I just wanted to say that after only half of this video has passed, I am already completely blown away. I've been watching your videos for a few days now (the YMS ones) and thought they were really funny, but this was the first serious one that I've seen of yours. This video is brilliant! I just love hearing your incredibly intelligent commentary on this movie that you're so passionate about, it's just simply awesome. That scene with the alarm clock and the title scene was incredible, by the way, and you should be proud of your serious eye for detail! Thanks for making so much good content, I'm excited to see what else I find on your channel! ^^

[@AppericateGamer]

This is powerful video

[@rainpeopleperson]

the title card thing is absolute bs

[@TheAtZShow]

Is it weird that I look forward to YMS videos the way I do actual films. I have a bucket of popcorn and soda ready as I'm watching this.

[@ibyinstitute]

It’s been 5 years

[@giantidiot31]

6 years later and I feel the same way. This is maybe my 8th time watching this series and I went out to get some snacks and a drink just for this lmao

[@amylopez3876]

Completely relate.

[@KNYGuy]

Synecdoche

[@baross2025]

Now this may be kind of an obvious thing because the first part of the song is obviously about Schenectady but literally about the cities life and death. I think it goes along with everything Adum said, the radio switches on and she sings about the cities death and it's drowned out by the radio (because who cares about that dead city). The city I feel is an incredibly important piece to the entire movie and this is echoed in the song. Schenectady was the booming electric city (Home of GE), everyone wanted to live and die there because of the great employment opportunities. Hell GE employed a huge portion of the people in city and surrounding area. Long story short GE basically cuts all the jobs in the 1960s and the city literally falls apart, everyone leaves. Now the city is mostly a slum and has the highest rate of crime in NY state (yes more than the 5 boroughs). Everyone left there, no one wants to live there, and no one who left is ever going back. I think she's literally singing about the city itself (which echos a bit of the under tones of this movie). Life goes on, people move on to the next thing, they try to cling to the things they know, they distract themselves from life with frivolous things, and eventually have to leave their life behind all together.

[@phocused420]

I now know why Charlie took 7 years to make another film after Synecdoche. Because it takes 7 years and hundreds of viewings to properly interpret all the layers of this movie. The effort is greatly appreciated. SO pumped for 'Anomalisa!' :)

[@othertalk3313]

And it took 7 years for anyone to reply to your comment. Not me, of course... it didn't take me that long. I only just got here.

[@SaltySparrow]

"The Film is about death" *shot with Phillip Seymour Hoffman* sigh.

[@TheNatureFreak1]

Great video mate -Garrus

[@YMS]

ey bb u wan sum fuk pls

[@TheNatureFreak1]

????

[@ThatLegends]

***** My ass is coated in dry hair.

[@YMS]

***** ey G.V. u wan sum calibration

[@ThatLegends]

YourMovieSucksDOTorg mmm

[@ryanbarnett1530]

Well shit. I could have watched this movie 100+ times and still not notice the fucking fading on the alarm clock. This is dedication.

[@ricarleite]

Uh... no? The letter fading differently on the titles due to contrast hues on the video compression of a 2008/2009 digital non linear movie editing, changing some parts of the video faster as the median hues are calculated (which has improved with time but is still not perfect, not being a lossless compression).

[@NUBCAKE101]

I had a feeling it might have been this kind of explanation. Seemed ridiculous how much he was reading into such a tiny detail. (Assuming what you say is true.)

[@thegoldendarsh2179]

Congrats, you can read earlier replies on a KZbin video

[@maulcs]

You can even notice it doing the same thing for the other credits in this review, the "Written and Directed by Charlie Kaufman" part with the "e" and "c" of "directed" fading on the dark part beneath the door knob, etc.

[@mikegribanov6105]

Ya, I think his interpretation of the movie is on point overall but that part was a bit of a reach

[@GinoZump]

this is all freaking me out. I watched this movie just once and was sure it's got more layers but the ammount of attention to detail actually is creepingly scary (I literally get shivers all around my body when I see what I've missed)

[@TheZigzagman]

As soon as I heard Caden say: "Try to keep in mind that a young person playing Willy Loman thinks he's only pretending to be at the end of a life full of despair. But the tragedy is that we know, you, the young actor, will end up in this very place of desolation." I knew this was going to be a good one.

[@anarchohannibalism]

It's even more poignant considering Philip Seymour Hoffman's very last stage performance was as Willy Loman :((((

[@poshima]

It’s crazy that Kaufman watched this and enjoyed it enough to meet you. Good job

[@samconner2619]

While I think you took a little to much time analyzing the alarm clock at the very beginning of the movie (Maybe that text fade in thing was intentional. I don't know, I am not Kaufman) I absolutely loved that you pointed out the segments of time and how they moved so quickly in this film. That is something that I did not catch the first time I watched this film, and will gladly watch the movie again to spot out time stamps of sorts. I can't remember if you mentioned this, but the film starts on September 22nd, which is the first day of Autumn. Autumn is typically associated with death in literature, so this enforces that the end is built into the beginning, where the beginning of the film starts on a day associated with death, an end of sorts.

[@maddieb.4282]

You’ll hopefully learn soon that with excellent filmmaking, EVERY choice is purposeful and meaningful. I think it’s illustrative of the depth of the film that you can analyze the first shot extensively and glean meaning about the entire film. Also this is a six or more part series so a few minutes discussing the opening shot is only about 5% of the review or something

[@dowehavetodothis]

I'm an illustrator & I lost count on how many times I listen to this amazing reading of Synecdoche while working. Well in my opinion it's the best movie I've ever watched, and your eloquent analysis helped me a lot to rediscover many details in it. Thank you...

[@Fleshcut]

I've spent my last ~2 weeks without a computer and internet. I came back to my apartment now and watched every video I missed on youtube during those weeks and I must say that this analysis is my favorite. The insight is truly amazing and adds so much more to the movie. Even "boring" breakfast scenes bombard you with thrilling information. I wish I could see this within movies.

[@visuallydispleasing2331]

i’ve finally just now watched this movie after all the synecdoche, new york comments in the adum and pals videos… i can’t say i enjoyed it very much. i can’t remember the last time a movie made me pause it just so i could take a breather and calm myself down.

[@norslongplays946]

At the end of the movie, the woman guiding Caden (Ellen) at the end of the movie says "now you're here, it's 7:43... now you're here, it's 7:44... now you're" and wouldn't you know it, the movie begins at 7:45.

[@huckmart2017]

I'm here to say that 6 years after hearing your recommendation for this movie i finally watched it. I'm not sure i understand it. But after finishing the film i sat in silence for about 10 minutes thinking about my life and some of the moments that led me to where i am today. I burst into tears and had to excuse myself to my bedroom. This film really spoke to me on a deep level and i'm not entirely sure why. I'm now thinking about how tragic and beautiful it is that we all live such intricate and complex lives filled with joy and grief, hope and regret, but in the end we all fade away with little fan fare. We're all just extras in somebody elses play.and once its over, all of our dreams disappear along with it, never getting a chance to be realized.

[@thomasdarragh735]

There is one thing that I noticed that you didn't touch on. I have always seen Caden's recurring tooth issues as having a duel meaning. The first, which you pointed out, is to show his growing obsession with his health problems. But the second meaning that came to mind when I saw this was that it is commonly known that if one has a dream about his or her teeth falling out, it is said that that dream signifies a subconscious fear of growing old. I believe that Kaufman put the particular problem of Caden's teeth in the film to show his fear of time slipping away, growing old and not leaving his mark on the world.

[@EverlastingRain55]

Damn, Adam. I watched this 7 years ago when you first released it and just came back to rewatch it and just have to say, you are a fantastic film critic. The research and detail in this video is amazing and your love for this film really shows. It really stands out even after all these years.

[@ShinOpaque]

I am by no means a movie person, but after watching this video, I finally got around to seeing the real thing. It seriously made me tear up more than once, and my girlfriend outright broke down and got angry at me for showing such a depressing movie to her. It was a great movie night.

[@kopissimooo]

Why does the director of this movie look like Neil Breen?

[@bergonath8851]

Because Neil Breen is his evil doppelganger.

[@anthonyk995]

Because Neil Breen's movies also have "Multiple interpretations"

[@muchoexpresso]

It’s a version of him from alternative universe who managed to cross over into this universe.

[@_RKev]

Because he IS neil breen, Neil is every director, he is just such a good actor tgat he can play every human ever

[@shitpostheavy]

Twisted Pair

[@fatumsoare]

Third time watching this waiting for Adam to release the final part. It's been 84 years.

[@headphonic8]

I’m obsessed with death, but it encourages me to behave completely opposite of the main character. While he tries to defy it in fear, my obsession has turned into acceptance. It’s made me live life more openly and happy, knowing it could all come to an end any second

[@ab8jeh]

Agreed, but I think it's easier when a little younger. If you have ever found blood in your urine, it's hard to ignore and just accept it. Worrying about it is how we survive to have more fun experiences. What I'm trying to say rather badly is that a balance seems to be a good way to live.

[@malteschuster6999]

I just want to thank Adam for making me find this film, it was the best experience of a film that I have ever had and it changed my outlook on life. Thank you for making me discover this masterpiece.

[@astrochiken]

I've been meaning to watch this film ever since you posted this video, but eight years passed without me even realizing. It's almost terrifyingly appropriate, given the subject matter.

[@wingsandash]

"After all, the film is... about you."

[@svenpoletka5236]

It is fantastic how his videos tell more about himself than the movies he talks about.

[@KSxGUAPO]

Meaning?

[@samseidel9917]

It's great to hear him talk about a movie he really liked.

[@robonick3607]

I love to think that when hazel buys the burning house, it is representative of her involvement in the main characters life. As it keeps burning and burning it represents the involvement of him in her life. Until she dies.

[@marc400]

Second time seeing the movie just now. I first watched it in 2018 and hes right later on in his analysis. Iv'e been coming back to Adam's videos about the film at different intervals of time like i just did come back to the film itself for the first time in 6 years. Noticing how little / lot has changed in my life. Thank you Adam for making me discorver this amazing work of art.

[@GinoZump]

the missing owl paintings or the tripped over chair may also indicate Caden as he is dead and missing from his family of three :(

[@giorgioparri5278]

Adele Lack Cotard = A delicate art...

[@monikaaleksieva]

Awesome :)

[@ahmedabusabib5424]

or adele lack contard = adele lacks cotard (fear of death)

[@neversurrender6112]

@@ahmedabusabib5424 damn

[@StoutShako]

Adum, I love you, but as someone who struggles very badly with depression and anxiety, as well as someone with high empathy, I think watching this movie is the worst thing I could do for myself. So I'm just gonna watch reviews of it online and thought analysis on it. I will live vicariously through you all.

[@AD-zg7fw]

Kudos.

[@Edge9897]

i struggle with depression and this was cathartic, but I agree with you

[@crazyclemsonfan8305]

Trust me please and watch it. It will help you in the long run.

[@StoutShako]

@@crazyclemsonfan8305 You think so? Maybe I'll give it a few years when I feel a bit more... Stable, I guess.

[@Stiasteny]

I just realised there's 5 parts to this review! I only watched the first one a few years and thought it was a meme that we had to wait for a really long time for the second part... Apparently it's already out but KZbin doesn't recommend any of these?? Wow

[@imdoug]

TIL Adam is my AP English teacher.

[@josephmooradian8356]

Coincidentally, not anticipating your review at all I watched this for the first time ever. It was really......I watched it. Your review is laying out SO MUCH I missed the first time. Keep it coming!

[@justfrankjustdank2538]

i first watched this while on break at a grocery store i worked at and i literally turned it off and left not realizing break wasnt over yet because watching this made time slow down unnaturally fast

[@PirateKingBoros]

This film made me feel such senses of primal agony and nihilism I was unironically begging it to be over.

[@codexnecro3917]

I've actually had to deal with Cotard syndrome for several years, let me tell you, those delusions are not fun to experience. Not to mention the other physical effects your psyche causes you to feel when those delusions start up randomly, sometimes not happening for a week and sometimes being constant and so annoying that you can't get to sleep no matter what you do.

[@dottiedogdiscovers]

Codex Necro try weed

[@knuckle12356]

I cant believe in 3 years' time, the only interest in your comment is some knucklehead telling you to smoke weed...smh. If you're willing to expound a bit, I'm really curious about this disorder. What does the delusion present as for you, specifically? What about logical "tests" such as how you can be dead and talking at the same time..? Dead ppl cannot talk. Or simply pricking a finger tip for someone who thinks they have no blood... how are points such as those addressed by the delusions? Or is there a break with reality beyond yourself, where reason and logic can't brave a threshold being willfully protected by the delusions..? Really curious to hear more of your experience. How is it treated? How effective are treatments? Thanks in advance for your time and sharing something about yourself that is so private and sensitive of a topic.

[@christian6353]

"You probably ate something green." Such a great juxtaposition.

[@seandevine5836]

What?

[@cameronreid3692]

I think they mean the peculiarity of green poop is the result of Olive 'probably' eating something green, an apparent rarity with Adele, who doesn't seem mindful of anyone's health.

[@vansonthewall]

@@cameronreid3692 Or because olives are .. green?

[@swamplakeproductions]

This is one of my all time favorite movies. I'm glad to see you really breaking into the nitty gritty, fine detail combing over of the absurd time jumps in the beginning. I'm surprised you passed over Caden's wife's line "everyone is more disappointing, the more you know someone" while working on one of her paintings. I thought it was quite indicative of not only their relationship but also the more general themes of decay and dissatisfaction. It also adds insight into her artistic style (her visceral, muddy paintings of nudes) and how she sees people through a distancing lens that simultaneously allows her to see people for what they are, unclouded by sentiment, while also keeping her removed from those she depicts so bluntly. Like Caden she is compartmentalizing her life into manageable pieces, but where Caden strives to represent all of our shared experiences (ironically causing his art, his coping mechanism to grow unwieldy and ultimately deeply alienating) his wife seeks only to recreate her own personal perspective which while arguably pure is devoid of participation (interprative or otherwise). That being said however I'm glad you at least got into how they are indeed opposites. I'm excited for part 2. Keep it up.

[@PogieJoe]

Holy hell this movie has layers to it that I never even could have imagined.

[@peterwolfnibaircs2791]

I didn't remember that such perfection could exist in a movie. Charlie Kaufman is as obsessed about details as Caden is about death... and we all thank for that. More than changing what you said, I would like to say a detail I found. In the scene when Caden is beaten by the sink I guess it could also represent the pipes of his body getting broken (his veins) and more because of the way he bleeds right afterwards. This could also be a "hen/egg" stuff, because the metaphor is happening before the reality comes to it, and it can also be a part of the idea "the end is built into the beginning". I could think this is a rupture of his routine, but when he appears in the hospital and the time just continues the same fast as before, I think it is there to represent that Caden is used to accidents, and they don't brake his routine cause they are part of it. It reminds me about David Linch's "Blue Velvet" very beginning, when the old man suffers a heart attack represented by a bent hose he was using to water his garden. These brilliant writer/directors... beautiful minds.

[@thepicausno5561]

I finished my second watchthrough of the movie a week ago and decided to go through these analysis videos again. One thing I didn't notice until now is how Ironic it is that Olive's song at the beginning directly states that she'll live and die in Schenectady yet she ends up living out the rest of her life in Germany.

[@teecomb]

I saw this movie four times in a small theatre by myself. I remember it making me cry so hard, being really confused by it, and then just going back the next day because I wanted to understand it all. Thank you for unpacking it like this. Wonderful film and a great review.

[@elimidd6626]

wow, it's been three years since you started this Adam, good job keeping faithful to this project, I hope things get better for you

[@SpotOnArm]

7 years ago already? Synecdoche for real...I get your point...Wow.

[@thecinematicmind]

Ambitious

[@mybrainquit]

This movie is great but Mega-Pirahna is better.

[@RustinChole]

😂 Mega-Pirahna sets a high bar.

[@EvilAntonio]

I always love it when people go deep into the meaning of titles and how they play into a film. I am already chomping at the bit for part 2 man, excellent stuff.

[@funguyz45]

Finally i found the lore reason why adum and pals always say this at the end of every video

[@tastybunns1]

Greetings from Cleveland! We won by six runs.

[@SparksX18]

None of the things you mentioned in this video would have even danced in my subconscious if I watched it for myself.

[@reicalg3]

I gotta say, I love your comedic reviews. In my opinion, you are one of the funniest personalities on youtube as far as the movie review scene goes. However, your serious reviews, such as this, are on a whole other level. You have a much deeper analysis, and have a much stronger passion for the movies than most others I watch. Thank you for these kind of reviews, this one in particular which really open my eyes to the world of cinematography and let me see a whole side of these movies I never saw in the past. After watching this I absolutely have to see this movie. It looks not only fantastic, but as you said, is extremely relative to all members of the audience. Thank you for this awesome review :)

[@aaronsuarez2585]

That monologue at the end made me shed a tear. Movie truly made me reflect on my life. GG Kaufman.

[@BornRemaining]

What you said about our brains ignoring consistent stimuli is why I can't really keep a proper 'reminder' routine to overcome my memory disorder. There's a note that I look at no matter what every time I use the kitchen sink, but after a while it's become white noise in the background as if it's not even there. I can look right at it and read it unconsciously without properly processing and acknowledging what it says. I'm pretty sure I'd be more likely to process the reminder written on it if it were to just not be there one day, simply because something would have changed from the norm.

[@manbost1417]

My interpretation was that he had committed suicide and went to hell. While at a therapy session he asked why someone killed themself and the therapist asked "why did you?". We also get some hellish imagery throughout the film, and i felt like his play was him doomed to watch his miserable life back.

[@caringheart34]

Maybe it's like Huis, Clos by Sartre where he describes "Hell is other people". The inability of them to understand him, them either unintentionally or intentionally isolating themselves from Caden and some being a bit hostile to him like Maria could be close to Sartre's story.

[@Choekaas]

Nice to see you dig in at something that didn't release just recently, because this was a magnificent analysis. This movie has been haunting me, made me think so much, and now I want to go back to it. Can't wait for the next part!

[@andrewjamesongray6388]

It's a full year and I really hope you end up finishing this review. This movie is probably my favorite of all time, and I never wouldn't have found it thanks to you, Adam.

[@itsthesheppy_ttv]

We obsess too much about death. The great curse of being human means that you're aware of your own mortality, but I don't think the cure to that curse is to spend endless amounts of time gazing thoughtfully at it. It's perhaps the *least* special part about being human. Trillions of humans died before me, and trillions will die after. It is *not special*. Making it special and obsessing over it, either in a detached sense or as something to be feared, only takes away from us. Only by ignoring it can we really enjoy ourselves. It's important to learn about what science tells us about our own brains; how they work, how they're put together, and what we as an animal species want. For me, it's about the next meal. The next little bit of free time, the next day at work and the next appointment with a friend. It's about always having something to look forward to and then experience, no matter how trivial. We have some sort of weird neurotic sense that we are cosmic beings who should aspire to have lives of great meaning, but I argue that only by allowing onesself to find meaning in happiness in *being* meaningless, in *embracing* how small and short and utterly pointless it all is, can one ever really be free.

[@Latetothegame]

In other words fnjord

[@Propolandante]

I agree with you, I just want to point out that "only" ~100 billion humans have died before you.

[@itsthesheppy_ttv]

Propolandante True. Thanks for the correction. Got my -illions all messed up.

[@irvingcsaltzburg]

I strongly disagree with this. I feel the vast majority of people on this planet spend way too much time actively ignoring the fact they're going to die, which ultimately makes them complacent to the idea of nonexistence. I think it would be nice if we could spend at least a few centuries on this planet experiencing everything life has to offer. 75 years feels like nothing, especially when almost half of that time is spent either too young or too old to enjoy the more exciting aspects of life. Yeah, I know there would be an obvious problem with overpopulation, but that's why I also strongly support space exploration for eventual colonization of other worlds, but that's an entirely different discussion. There's more to life than just constantly "being happy", I honestly think fearing death is healthy for all of us, because fear can be one of the strongest motivators to get shit done. If we didn't have nonsense like religion constantly convincing the majority of people that everything will be just plain dandy after we die (as well as serving as a huge detriment to scientific progress by blocking useful research such as stem cells and protesting the idea of space exploration), then we would be investing much more time and money into medical science to prolong our average lifespan. The human body is nothing more than a complex biological machine intended to keep our brains alive, I think it's entirely possible to tweak and improve these machines through scientific means like altering our genes or cybernetics.

[@itsthesheppy_ttv]

irvingcsaltzburg It's strange that you say you strongly disagree, and then in the next two paragraphs you don't seem all that interested in disagreeing with me. The points you cover, if I were to distill them, seem to be: 1) Fear of death is healthy because it helps us get out of bed in the morning and go to work. 2) You wish life were longer and you are looking to science to help with that. 3) Space exploration is important to stave off overpopulation. Ignoring for the sake of brevity how space exploration is, at least to me, less important than the colonization of the oceans, which represents the majority of planet's surface, I'd like to point out that my entire point was that *obsessing* about death, either positively or negatively, isn't so much unhealthy as it is a sad waste of time. Life is short, time moves faster as you get older (or your perception of it is; that's not an illusion by the way, your brain really does perceive time as moving faster the older you get, another one of our little curses) and for the forseeable future there is no chance of us escaping the animal cycle of 'born, live too short a life, die'. I mean, we spend something like a third of our lives *sleeping*. How wasteful is that? But bemoaning it serves us nothing, because we have no other choice. It only eats up precious moments of your already brief existence worrying over one of the central bits that you, nor anyone else, get any say over, and has already been thoroughly explored by over 100 billion of just our own species. So when I see elaborate pains taken to explore this aspect of our experience I feel its so much noise about nothing special. The worst part of death is someone you know dying. a loved one, someone or something precious to you. One's OWN death is a totally meaningless thing. For trillions of yours I was dead before I was born and wasn't bothered in the slightest by it at the time. I cannot imagine I'll be bothered for the trillions that come after. We don't disagree, I don't think. I just want to stress that our lives are incredibly short and meaningless, but only if you're wishing against all hope that they were long and more meaningful. Embracing pointlessness doesn't mean don't go to work, or don't accomplish things. For some people, making great strides in science and technology is what get's them up in the morning. Good! Go do that! Chase your happiness. "I know what’s coming. I know no one beats these odds and I know it’s a matter of getting used to that and realizing that you are expelled from your mother’s uterus as if shot from a cannon towards a barn door studded with old nail files and rusty hooks. It’s a matter of how you use up the intervening time in an intelligent and ironic way; and try not to do anything ghastly to your fellow creatures." - Christopher Hitchens, professional wordsmith, writer, philosopher, and dead guy.

[@LaJin9292]

"The healthy human mind doesn't wake up in the morning thinking this is it's last day to live." This is a quote from a game that's widely considered shallow and thoughtless. Not trying to start anything, just a random thought.

[@IsaacLeonhardtVideos]

What game is that? Sounds familiar.

[@winniethechurchill1527]

It's literally taken me several hours to watch this 20 minute video as I keep having to pause it and walk around talking to myself to think about the ideas in this video, great video btw

[@Zordon06]

This is my favorite film, and I've seen it at least a dozen and a half times, seeing something new every single time I watch it, and yet you've still managed to point out things I hadn't noticed. Kudos, sir, and I look forward to parts 2 and 3.

[@yan008]

Kaufman is a god-tier screenwriter

[@snowyman321]

Thank you for introducing me to this movie :) watching it now for the second time and trying to pay attention to the timeline. Noticed that Adele's art exhibition is taking place between Nov 2026 and Jan 2027, it says it on a guy's shirt who is walking past Caden at about 01.23.20 in the movie.

[@libertyAHV]

Boy, the comments here are full of people thinking that if a movie makes you sad, it's a bad movie. This movie has stuck with me since I first saw it when I was aroudn 15. It's incredible every time I rewatch it, and definitely one of Kaufman's greatest, and one of the best in the last 25 years.

[@bryanchu5379]

I always thought it was called synecdoche new york because the mini new york that Caden builds as a set is a literal synecdoche of New york

[@uncivilizedelk]

Does he talk about Little Winky in this video!? That bit always stumped the hell out of me (I'll check back and watch the entire video later.)

[@iamnottheguy8914]

*5 years later.........*

[@isaacmelendez2241]

When will you check back?.... It's been 17 years

[@ripbooboo8563]

I think little winky functions as another artist's work for Caden to hyperfixate on within the context of the film. The toddler who wrote it is obviously absurdly young and had an absurdly horrible life, which reflects the way that Caden (and by extension, the audience) constantly compare(s) our own suffering and achievements to others. Case in point: later on in the film, Caden sits on a bench near an advertisement for a movie adaptation of Little Winky, while Caden's life work is basically a complete mess that has made almost no forward progress since he got the McArthur Fellowship.

[@bighex5340]

ADUM IS GONE, NOW THERE IS ONLY ADAM AND WE WILL NEVER GET THE FINAL PART OF THE REVIEW

[@cameronroy2129]

@@bighex5340 he actually talked about it in his editing highlights.

[@8geartodown]

“You are breaking the fourth wall!” Lmao

[@adraino7345]

Finished it this morning. I liked it and definitely had a fun time. Whenever Caden had to “go to the bathroom” I just though of Scott Pilgrim “I gotta pee”. It has a 69% on RT as of this comment and I think technically it’s excellent I probably got about a 69% entertainment value. I never could look away but I also didn’t always know what I was watching and admittedly I took a long poop break.

[@Nuudles112]

Hey Adam. Just wanted to thank you for introducing me to this magnificent film. I've already watched it two times, and it's just amazing.

[@LuisMartinez-rw2lj]

Omg no, I am rewatching all of these vids and I saw the date when this vid came out I'm shocked because I thought it came out like last Christmas but no it came out 2 years ago and I just look back and now realize time is going to fast and I haven't done anything.

[@toob46]

I might be wrong about this but when they talk about time moving slowly for children around 13:00 it's because when your little time moves slowly because you learn so much in those early years and your school years because you learned something everyday. When your an adult times moves more fast because you don't learn as much as you did as a child........ or I might be wrong, it makes sense to me

[@The357Mason]

Agreed.

[@missa657]

Please finish this series Adam

[@piperd9069]

You sound so deep and thoughtful in this vid. I can tell that this means a lot to you.

[@CANNIBoy]

It’s 2020 and he still hasn’t completed his interpretation folks

[@begumokten7763]

You said it’s your second favorite film of all time.. what’s your first one?

[@JorganGJorgan]

The holy mountain 1973

[@RustinChole]

One of the best movies from soundtrack to direction and acting and writing... its such a towering accomplishment for. Kauffman.

[@joolenka]

The genius that is this film. It is a masterpiece. Something you return to time and again. It's a film about life.