The AV Club had a post today about Synecdoche, New York, the Charlie Kaufman movie that came out in fall 2008. I saw that movie at Ragtag when it finally made its way to Columbia. In fact, I think it was the first film I saw at the new Ragtag theater. Anyway, I haven’t seen it since I saw it then, and of course I went out and read all the reviews after I saw it, but it was nice to read this today, a well-written review of it long after the fact. It’s a review based on reflection, which is not the case with a lot of reviews.
Anyway, it was a great movie. Scott Tobias, one of the AV Club’s better movie reviewers, quoted this from the film:
There are a million little strings attached to every choice you make. You can destroy your life every time you choose. But maybe you won’t know for 20 years. And you may never ever trace it to its source. And you only get one chance to play it out.
I love that quote. Tobias called it grim, but I don’t think so.
But there are a lot of things in life that other people think are grim and morbid, things that I consider to be pleasing and interesting. I don’t know if I’m an incurable Pollyanna or what, but my view of that quote above is seeing all the millions of strings that I didn’t pull during my life, that didn’t destroy my life. I see only that it has worked out pretty well so far, what there has been of it.
What a great movie that was. I need to rewatch it.
I would watch that one with you too…