Jeremy caught Synecdoche in Austin the other night, and sent along a review for the reading pleasure of his fellow BCKsters:

This film is a failure.  And I think that's what Charlie intended to do.  Not that he would ever say it, because he is extremely careful to never talk about what the movie really means to him, but I believe that the movie fails on several levels completely intentionally, and that's what makes it work on other levels.  To me, the real message of the film is that the true goal of most art, which is to represent the true human experience, is impossible to reach and if one really tries to reach that goal, he will inevitably fail, just as Charlie does with this film.  It is very boring at parts and very confusing.  The passing of time is treated very inconsistently and many plot lines come and go without any apparent purpose or resolution.  The name of the film refers to the fact that Caden's goal in the film is to represent the entire human experience by staging a play that examines the lives of a few certain people, I think.  I asked Charlie after the screening, what the meaning of the title is to him and he told me that he didn't want to talk about it, instead I should interpret it for myself.  I hate it when writers tell me that.  Anyway, I hope I didn't give too much away.  Overall I think I loved the film, but time will tell.  I think that like Adaptation, this film will benefit from dozens of viewings and that I will eventually be able to connect all the seemingly disconnected parts of the film, at least thematically.  We'll see.  The reaction in Austin was mixed.  Many people loved the film and Charlie got a standing ovation.  Most people I know were intrigued by it but still not sure if they liked it or not.  I went to the bathroom halfway through the film and there were two guys who completely hated it already, mainly because of the dark, negative nature of it.  They were definitely not the film's demographic and weren't watching it with an open mind, which is extremely necessary for one to appreciate this film.  I definitely recommend it and would say that it is my 3^rd favorite Kaufman film behind Adaptation. and Eternal Sunshine and it is very similar to Adaptation in many ways.