Read

Quick Answer: In his directorial debut Synecdoche, New York, Charlie Kaufman references the Cotard delusion and the Capgras delusion. The Cotard delusion is a rare mental illness in which the sufferer believes that he is already dead. The Capgras delusion is a psychiatric disorder in which one believes that his friends and family members have been replaced by imposters. In addition to drawing attention to some of Kaufman’s inspirations, these references reinforce the film’s themes of mortality and meta-referentiality.

Though Charlie Kaufman’s directorial debut was overlooked by audiences and received a polarizing response from critics, Synecdoche, New York (2008) fans are increasingly flocking to the film as a sleeper cult hit. Like Kaufman’s previous films, Adaptation (2002), Eternal Sunshine for the Spotless Mind (2004), and Being John Malkovich (1999) Synecdoche, New York is arguably the most ambitious in scope, examining the complex themes of mimesis, mortality and meta-referentiality.

Like other Kaufman films, psychology and mental illness plays a prominent role in Synecdoche, New York. Caden’s last name, Cotard, is a reference to the Cotard delusion, in which one believes onself to be dead. Alternately, the delusion can lead one to believe that one’s body is putrefying or organs are failing. It’s been theorized that Caden was dead the entire movie and was in purgatory. When Caden hires an actress (Dianne Wiest) to take over his role as a director, she says to him, “Caden Cotard is a man already dead, living in a half-world between stasis and antistasis. Time is concentrated and chronology confused for him. Up until recently he has strived valiantly to make sense of his situation, but now he has turned to stone.”

Though it’s possible that Caden’s character was dead the entire time, the Cotard reference in the film is most likely symbolic of Caden’s preoccupation with death and illness. Throughout the entirety of the film, Caden is constantly worrying about dying and his own personal legacy after his death. Because of his morbid mindframe he never gets to truly live while he’s alive. It’s ultimately ironic that Caden becomes the last person that he knows to die.

The film also plays homage to the Capgras delusion, a psychiatric disorder in which the sufferer believes his friends and family have been replaced by identical imposters. This relates to Caden casting actors to play the different people in his life. Things get complicated when Caden casts actors to play the actors of the original characters. Hermione Hoby of The Guardian referred to Synecdoche, New York as the “ultimate postmodern novel” because of how incredibly meta the film is. The Capgras delusion is referenced when Caden goes to his ex-wife Adele’s (Catherine Keener) apartment and sees that the name next to Adele’s buzzer is Capgras.

Considering how detail-oriented Kaufman is, it’s likely that his references to Cotard and Capgras were deliberate attempts to point the audience towards his inspiration. Synecdoche, New York is not a simple film, nor is it an easy film to watch for the first time. It is depressing, complex and uncompromising.