Stages of Life: Art, Time and Meaning in Synecdoche, New York

David Crewe looks at the many abstract ideas in Charlie Kaufman's complex, rewarding film, including its flirtation with philosophies surrounding the meaning of life.

Additional keywords: Film as text, senior secondary, tertiary, simulacra, cities, death, Harold Pinter, Being John Malkovich, Spike Jonze, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, George Clooney, masculinity, indie cinema, independent film.