New York theater director Caden Cotard (Philip Seymour Hoffman) tries to understand his life and relationships while fretting over dying without having accomplished something lasting. Charlie Kaufman’s directing debut was hailed as a masterpiece by some, but it is a frustrating experience. Wildly ambitious, with elements that are more or less brilliant, Kaufman as a filmmaker is ultimately unable to bring his ingenious screenwriter’s ideas together as a functioning whole. Challenging to the mind, and with great acting, but emotionally distant.

2008-U.S. 124 min. Color. Widescreen. Written and directed by Charlie Kaufman. Cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman (Caden Cotard), Samantha Morton (Hazel), Michelle Williams (Claire Keen), Catherine Keener, Emily Watson, Dianne Wiest… Jennifer Jason Leigh, Hope Davis, Tom Noonan.

Trivia: Co-produced by Kaufman and Spike Jonze.

IMDb