Synecdoche, New York

If you liked this

Being John Malkovich1999

Kaufman's first produced screenplay is the funniest, weirdest way into his obsessions — identity, control, the horror of being trapped inside your own head — without Synecdoche's crushing sadness.

But The tone is comic-absurdist rather than tragic, so if you wanted more grief and less farce, it's the wrong register.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind2004

Same screenwriter, same fascination with memory and the impossibility of escaping yourself, but wrapped around a love story that's genuinely moving rather than merely devastating.

But It's warmer and more romantic than Synecdoche ever gets — if you wanted another gut-punch about mortality, this pulls its punches.

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)2014

A theatre-obsessed egomaniac loses his grip on reality while chasing one perfect, self-annihilating piece of art — the backstage panic attack Synecdoche would have with a camera that never stops moving.

But It's showier and funnier, more preoccupied with ego and spectacle than with death — exhausting in a different way.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Synecdoche, New York

Cast

• 
  Philip Seymour HoffmanCaden Cotard
• 
  Samantha MortonHazel
• 
  Michelle WilliamsClaire Keen
• 
  Catherine KeenerAdele Lack
• 
  Emily WatsonTammy
• 
  Dianne WiestEllen Bascomb / Millicent Weems
• 
  Jennifer Jason LeighMaria
• 
  Hope DavisMadeleine Gravis
• 
  Tom NoonanSammy Barnathan
• 
  Sadie GoldsteinOlive (4 years old)
• 
  Robin WeigertAdult Olive
• 
  Deirdre O'ConnellEllen's Mother

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