Films like synecdoche? - Synecdoche, New York (2009) Discussion

[–] MarxBrosFan 14 years ago

I'd say maybe 'Broken Flowers' (Jim Jarmusch) with Bill Murray, 'About Schmidt' with Jack Nicholson... Some of Paul Thomas Anderson's movies, like 'Magnolia' or 'Punch-Drunk Love'....

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[–] DarrenDirt 13 years ago

^ agreed, I would suggest all of these, also I would add "Happiness". and since someone mentioned "Barton Fink", I would also say "The Man Who Wasn't There" has a similar downer type of feel to much of the film.

edit: "A Scanner Darkly" as well, very surreal and you have to really pay attention to appreciate the "comedy" elements, not unlike S,NY.

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[–] adisnewsletters 12 years ago

Downer type of feeling? Essentially the movie is a visual exploration of existentialist philosophy and resolves it in similar conclusions as Camus. Which is a beautiful affirmation of life without giving in in any unresolvable quests for truth or reason. While the quest of Caden - as deemed irrational and irrelevant by existentialist thought - is painful, the resolution is anything but.

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[–] jondavid888 11 years ago

I would like to learn more about how I can feel less "down" about this sort of movie. The main character ended up alone (at least by his family) and it made me cry.

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[–] Bad-Jet413 10 years ago

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[–] c_dilla 14 years ago

Maybe Stranger Than Fiction, one of my favorite movies: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0420223/ or the underrated gem Living In Oblivion (starring Catherine Keener): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113677/.

They are both comedies though, but they share the same meta aspect of film making, and this movie was being advertised as a comedy as well after all.

Other obvious choices would be David Lynch's Mulholland Drive or Inland Empire in case you haven't seen them.

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[–] 14 years ago

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[–] write_mich 14 years ago

If you enjoy movies that explore themes of existentialism in a fun and quirky way, I think you will absolutely love "I heart Huckabees."

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[–] scarletminded 14 years ago

Anything by Fellini or Lynch. This film reminds me a lot of Mullholland Dr, Inland Empire and 8 1/2.

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[–] aHardNightsDay 14 years ago

I'm going to throw the Truman Show out there
or for a darker film, like someone else said, Mulholland Drive
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[–] Kev11sky 14 years ago

Inception, maybe? A little bit?

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[–] BorisKarpov 10 years ago

No not inception, please dont go there

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[–] Fuzagi 8 years ago

lol

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[–] einstein (2377) 5 years ago

why are the similar movies suggestions always shit?

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[–] rooprect 14 years ago

I would definitely recommend anything by Jim Jarmusch who has a similar quirky style and deadpan humour:
Night on Earth
Dead Man
Broken Flowers

If the surrealism is what you liked, check out the films of Emir Kusturica:
Arizona Dream
Underground

And for comedic style you have to see:
Catch-22

However, none of these films are nearly as philosophically challenging as Synecdoche. If that's what you found most appealing, I'd say go for:
2001: A Space Odyssey
The Man Who Wasn't There

A lot of people are reminded of David Lynch, but I don't really care for his stuff. I would sooner recommend Peter Greenaway's The Cook if you like the weird aspect of this film.

And for a fun, intelligent little flick about a neurotic playwright in NYC, you can check out an obscure gem I recently discovered:
Game 6

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[–] calindreams 14 years ago

I second roosprect on Peter Greenaway. One of his period pieces 'The Draughtsman's Contract' is quite a strange little whodunnit (with very lavish costumes), where you are never actually told the answer to the mystery, although Greenaway says that the clues are there. It's also got some meta-film kind of themes, framing and perspective, etc..

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[–] rooprect 14 years ago

Hey calin, if you're a Greenaway fan maybe you can help me. I really enjoyed The Cook, but when I tried watching 2 of his other films (The Falls and Prospero's Books) I got a bad taste because they seemed to meander too much. Either I couldn't follow them, or perhaps there wasn't much to follow. But your description of Draughtsman sounds more my style because I like it when films have a singular 'solution', even if it's not openly stated. How about his other films, which would you recommend to me?

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[–] Sturgeon54 14 years ago

Check out Robert Altman's 1977 masterpiece "3 Women", another dense, strange, surrealistic movie with the same themes: loneliness, egocentrism, diffusion of personality/identity between characters. Also, this is another movie heavily admired by Roger Ebert - it is on his list of the greatest films ever made.

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[–] enneagram4 9 years ago

Three Women, good call-

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[–] thecerebralassasin2005 14 years ago

Most recommendations in this thread revolve around the Lynch-esque structure and style.
What other films can people recommend that actually deal with similar subject matter and themes as Synecdoche?

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[–] rooprect 13 years ago

Most recommendations in this thread revolve around the Lynch-esque structure and style.
What other films can people recommend that actually deal with similar subject matter and themes as Synecdoche?

That's a tough one; this film touches on a lot of themes. Which ones interest you the most?

If we're talking about the ontological theme of existence, there's a great, challenging film called Werckmeister Harmonies. You can watch the opening scene here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFmu7BYbthY
If you can grasp/enjoy the first 10 minutes, I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

If we're talking about the theme of people lost in the complexity of their own minds, there's a great Japanese flick called Shiki-jitsu (Ritual) about a weird chick who lives in a 7-story warehouse. Also I highly recommend the Wenders flick Until the End of the World about, among other things, a dream-revealing device that turns people into self-obsessed lunatics.

If we're talking about the themes of nihilism & existentialism, Aguirre, the Wrath of God is a winner. It presents the metaphor of a 17th century expedition tromping through Central America led by a madman.

If you like the theme of fiction & reality crossing paths, there's:
Stranger than Fiction
Glory to the Filmmaker
Adaptation

And if you like the Kantian theme of subjective realities based on relative perception, there's:
Rashomon
Yureru
Citizen Kane
and of course many episodes of Gilligan's Island

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