Year 2008: Synecdoche, New York

Epic is a routine word used and reused nowadays by netizens to express their bewilderment over a work that may or may not possess an epic quality. Sometimes I wonder if the true meaning of the word has been obliterated by the cliché that surrounds it. But if epic still stands for a work of unparalleled nature then, Charlie Kaufman's directorial debut "Synecdoche, New York" serves it right. This movie reminds me that our life is just a big stage or a film set of sorts with roles distributed unevenly, and the story is a reflection of life either made of tragedy or comedy. As usual, Kaufman throws us psychological concepts and bittersweet interplays between life and death that would made us rethink of our own personal relationships, may it be good or dysfunctional, with ourselves and of the people around us. The strength of the story and the script alone without doubt is just one of the many reasons that this motion picture would be studied and pondered, and would stand the test of time.