Really interesting film I think, have always been a fan of Charlie Kaufman films (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation).
Not gonna lie though I had no idea what this film was about at first but after watching it a second time and reading a few reviews/analysis things it's really grown on me and I think it is actually a really amazing film.
I highly recommend watching it blind but then if you are confused afterwards read a little about what it's about and some of the references and things in there and it is very interesting, it's a very densely packed film but it's still very entertaining to watch (imo) even if you're not sure what's happening. It's on Netflix if you got that.
spoiler
One of the key themes that stuck out to me was the idea of how movies and media infect us 'like a virus' and that by being saturated in other media, we become them. Also the idea that the girl says that no person is really original, they are just bits of other people, which is funny because she herself is a fantasy character in the mind of the janitor, made up of bits of other people and films/books that he has read.
Thinking about this makes the ending make a lot more sense with the Beautiful Mind and Oklahoma references, this is how the janitor sees himself and the film is all about his internal life and fantasies while his actual life is boring and unfulfilling, still living on that farm washing his janitors clothes in the basement.
Interested if anyone else has seen this and what they thought? It's one of those films that sticks with you for a while after. I can imagine some may find a lot of the dialogue kinda pretentious but I also think that's kind of the point.
Better than the book by miles. The scene with the parents is horrifying. Its all elevated by Kaufman to be honest and he's not like the greatest director but he understands subtlety and emotional impact which isn't found in Hollywood anymore. It takes the theme of alienation and amplifies it as the book feels more centered around some lost love. Here, he never experienced life at all.
I really liked it, it might be his best. Hammer and Camera have an interesting critique on it though, which is that despite initial appearances it is, ultimately, another Kaufman film about The Longing Man - a topic Kaufman seems unable to escape.
yeah it has a lot in common with being john malkovich, especially the red haired dream girl.
haven't seen that one, at least not for a long time if i have cos i don't remember it at all
Horror vanguard has a long episode on it if you are interested.
I really liked it. The super experimental story structure was great. It's been too long to comment on any specifics, but the uneasiness of it was so good. Maybe I'll watch it again soon
Really really good, watched it with a friend and it made for some really engaging discussion afterwards and even during it. We had to pause like every 10 minutes to talk lmao, ended up guessing the twist like 1/3 through the film. Haven't seen any of Kaufman's other films, but now I'm interested to see Synecdoche and the rest.
They even namedrop :debord-tired:
I loved it and low key found both main characters pretty relatable in certain ways despite it being a very weird film. Really like your write up. I didn't pick up on that stuff when watching, but it totally makes sense. I thought the dialogue was kind of Whit Stillman-esque, so agree that the pretentiousness is kind of the point
Liked it a lot. My partner and I had fun trying to guess where it was going the whole time
I really liked it. I found the whole depiction of alienation and atomization just really harrowing.
I also really liked it, good companion piece with synedeche or whatever you spell that.
