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| Die (the last words in the film) |
You can sense from the very start that SNY is not an ordinary film. It is ambitious, tedious and a film that requires lot of attention and thinking. SNY is like a novel in moving images.
Every single frame has not one, but many points of interest. For example, in the beginning there is a shot of a wall clock. Inside the clock it's written "Time will tell, wear Sundial shoes." This by itself may not mean much in a thematic way, or does it? I am not sure. However, I feel it will never be possible to fully understand this film. The reason why I believe so is because this film is a very personal work. Works which are personal and have many thick layers running through them are difficult to decipher because we can never know what its creator felt exactly. In short, each viewer has to draw his own conclusion. And as is the case with this movie there is a high probability that my conclusion will be altogether different from yours and Charlie Kaufman's idea.
The film has many underlying themes; be it the green colored poop, Hope Davis's book covers, the miniature paintings, loneliness, death, disease, simulacrum. The film does not seek answers, it does not hold mysteries, nor is it interested in trying to find answers to the absurdity we all endure -the absurdity called life. It is those philosophical undertones in the movie that made me draw towards it.
(It would be pointless to cover the themes of the movie, as these have already been covered by other reviewers. Even the Wikipedia article about the film is quite impressive.)
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| Albert Camus's Meursault and SNY's Caden are struck by the absurdity of life and the certainty of one's death |
If SNY were to be written as a novel, it would indeed turn out to be a wonderful one. For anyone who appreciates literary undertones in movies (like "The Hours" - another wonderful movie about Mrs. Dalloway and Virginia Wolfe.) this movie is a must see. Charlie Kaufman's movies are not complicated so as to seem intellectual, nor is he trying to make blockbusters out of quirky ideas. His ideas seem genuine and his movies though depressing are truthful in a way. Much like our lives, his ideas are jumbled and frustrating but find a way to resonate in our minds.
The most enjoyable scenes for me were the end scenes, where Caden was directed by the voice/director. These are the ending quotes from the movie -
"What was once before you, an exciting and mysterious future
is now behind you, lived, understood, disappointing.
You realize you are not special.
You have struggled into existence and are now slipping silently out of it.
This is everyone's experience. Every single one.
The specifics hardly ever matter. Everyone is everyone.
So you are Adele, Hazel, Claire, Olive. You are Ellen. All her meager sadness are yours.
All her loneliness. The gray, straw like hair. Her red raw hands, it's yours.
It is time for you to understand this.
As the people who adore you, stop adoring you.
As they die, they move on.
As you shed them, as you shed your beauty, your youth
As the world forgets you, as you recognize your transience.
As you begin to lose your characteristics one by one
As you learn there is no one watching you
And there never was, you think only about driving
Not coming from anyplace, not arriving anyplace
Just driving counting off time
Now you are here. It's 7:43
Now you are here. It's 7: 44
Now you are gone."
Rating : 5/5
Similar movies: Magnolia, Tree of life, The hours, 2001 a space odyssey
Pros: The ambition, large scale, great quotes, incredible cast, thinking movie, high re watch-ability.
Cons: Depressing, may seem long (but is only 2 hours long), pretentious for some (eg: burning house etc)
PS: A special mention to the wonderful track Little Person by Jon Brion that plays out at the end credits.
