Synecdoche, New York

2008 US Charlie Kaufman
✰✰✰1/2

It's not pretentious, it's about something (what?)! A vanity project, sure—but one that eats with both hands: ironic detachment, we laugh at the characters; attachment, we feel sympathy for those we laugh at. Writing is top-notch, as expected. Cinematography is good, direction above-average. Overflows with ideas, surrealism. Touching. Cons: suffers from over-length, beginning is better than ending, certain weirdness is excessive. But Samantha Morton is adorable. All is well, because I'm in love again. Says the ear-piece: "Die."