沒了Charlie Kurfman，Michel Gondry 變得有口難言；Charlie Kurfman 自己卻毋用靠別人仍是光芒四射的天才。
首次獨擔大旗編導電影，Kurfman 通過一出舞台劇 – 自其醖釀至終結 – 來探索 “人生” 這命題。劇初，Kurfman 領大家走進 Caden (劇場編劇) 混沌沮喪的生活，自他的失意、突患奇疾的巧合與一個難能可貴的機會來造就故事發生的背景。
1. 探索
借 Caden 對生命裡突如其來的變化的茫然與無所適從，Kurfman 發出第一個問題 “死亡究竟是怎樣一回事?”。
電影首段，Caden 正經歷一連串不尋常的變化，身體出坌子跟妻子帶著女兒離開教他沮喪並失去希望；面對突如其來的奬金與機會，冥冥中他覺得要換個環境另創一片天。找來一大幫演員與排綀場地，他跟大家同樣迷茫，正是這不知所措讓他有了教全體演員跟他一起探索劇本發展的念頭。
當死亡的陰霾濃罩五頂，Caden 死心眼地沈溺於失去的一切與末日帶來的恐懼，眼前的一切雖然鮮活可愛，他卻無法投入或好好珍重。然而當日子一天一天過去，隨劇情逐漸發展得愈見層次具規模，死亡在 Caden 人生裡的重要性被慢慢淡化；觀眾看他徘徊留戀於失去了跟沒法得到的人事物之間，見證他建立繼而又失去第二個家。
至此，Caden 一直擔心的死亡始終沒有降臨；眼前逼切的問題換成 “要為自己創造的人事物負責” ——如何處理與太太、女兒及情人的關係? 如何理清劇作的脈胳、把發展中的故事完整地呈現?
本來凌亂不堪的故事來到電影中段開始漸見章法，情節也慢慢成形。不斷加減的人物角色姓甚名誰開始變得無關重要，一眾演員創作出來的故事也各具獨立的價值，Caden 在為布境蓋牆的同時更為他們賦予了真實的生命 (Now that every story has a life of its own)。
實驗劇從而到了關口位，本來是 Caden 思考一己人生的獨腳劇，如今卻成了窺視眾生 (peeking lives of others) 的處境劇；Caden 甚至索性連自己的角色也抽脫出來讓別人飾演演，從積極參與變作在旁抽離察看的觀眾。
2. 答案
藝術是創作人對生命的思考。藝術作品就是創作人對命題思考所得的答案。
俗語說 “旁觀者清、當局者迷”，當 Caden 雇來演員飾演他自己後，他看到的不再是純粹虛構或模枋現實的故事。演 Caden 的男人教他看到自己真實的一面，後來接替他當 Caden、當導演的女演員更令他明白人生的意義。
電影裡有兩段對話尤其點明題旨，其一是牧師 (Pastor) 致詞的一幕，其二是最後 Ellen 的 Voiceover:
Pastor:
“Everything is more complicated than you think. You only see a tenth of what is true. 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 get only once chance to play it out. Just try and figure out your own divorce. And they say there is no fate, but there is, it’s what you create. And even though the world goes on for eons and eons… you are only here for a fraction of a fraction of a second. Most of your time is spent being dead or not yet born. But while alive, you wait in vain… wasting years for a phone call or a letter or a look… from someone or something to make it all right. And it never comes, or it seems to, but it doesn’t really. So you spend your time in vague regret… or vaguer hope that something good will come along. Something to make you feel connected. Something to make you feel whole. Something to make you feel loved. And the truth is… I feel so angry. And the truth is… I feel so fucking sad. And the truth is, I’ve felt so fucking hurt for so fucking long. And for just so long, I’ve been pretending I’m okay… just to get along, just for… I don’t know why. Maybe because no one wants to hear about my misery… because they have their own. Well, fuck everybody. Amen.”
大家對人生都有一定的穜景與嚮往，卻不一定都有積極地爭取。很多人一生都在等，等待事情發生或美夢成真。在等待的同時依戀過去擁有或未能擁有的，忘卻把握目前。當時間一天一秒流逝，才驚覺一直等待的可能永遠不會降臨，又氣又恨卻已為時太晚。
Ellen 的 Voiceover
“What was once before you, an exciting and mysterious future… is now behind you, lived, understood, disappointing. You realize you are not special. You have struggled into existence and are now slipping silently out of it. This is everyone’s experience. Every single one. The specifics hardly matter. Everyone is everyone. So you are Adele… Hazel, Claire, Olive. You are Ellen. All her meager sadnesses are yours. All her loneliness. The gray, straw-like hair. Her red, raw hands. It’s yours. It is time for you to understand this. Walk. As the people who adore you stop adoring you… as they die, as they move on… as you shed them, as you shed your beauty, your youth… as the world forgets you, as you recognize your transience… as you begin to lose your characteristics one by one… as you learn there is no one watching you… and there never was, you think only about driving. Not coming from anyplace, not arriving anyplace… just driving, counting off time. Now you are here. It’s 7:43. Now you are here. It’s 7:44. Now you are gone.”
有些人會說是命運作祟，忽略自己的每一個選擇影響自己的同時影響人；信仰當下感覺隨心走或過後才悔不當初分別往往差之千里。Caden 到最後不是掛上耳機聽命於人做木偶，反是得到預感而後隨心走；然而現實裡又有多少人能抽離當下或眼內參透薀涵的意味?
3. 表現手法
論規模，Synecdoche, New York 與一眾史詩式戰爭片不遑多讓，其野心之大可見一斑。由於演員數目極多，Kurfman 就沒有為所有人塑造獨立個性或面孔；這樣的處理正如同把真實世界模擬了一遍 —— 演員搬演的劇目尤如蕓蕓觀眾的人生，你我他好比看著自己的故事在上畫，投入感大增之余引發出強烈共鳴。
通過匠心獨運的對話與獨白，Kurfman 更透徹地剖析命題，引領觀眾自嬡昧含糊走向豁然開朗的景地。兩小時的戲，他就明明白白地闡釋了自己對人生的觀點與理解；若說 Godard 是談愛之本源的智者，那 Kurfman 也不失為論生的哲人。
[寫於 2009-05-29]
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