In filmmaking, a "hot set" is one on which filming is continuing and nothing should be touched. In Charlie Kaufman's new movie, Synecdoche, New York, the term takes on a whole new meaning: In once scene, a house burns perpetually while actors work around the flames.
The scene is just one of several surrealistic tableaus in the movie. Samantha Morton's character buys a house, and the fact that it is on fire is considered a mere inconvenience by a real estate agent. The house burns over the 40-year lifespan of another character, a playwright played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, sending smoke and flames billowing.
"It wasn't always easy to deal with that," writer/director Kaufman said in an interview. "I had an amazing special-effects person and continuity person. It's another oddity that the cast and crew had to deal with, a burning house."
The film's story follows the life of the playwright, who is trying to create a play that mirrors his life as it is unfolding. He builds sets within sets and lives his life within the multi-layered play he creates. The movie also stars Catherine Keener, Michelle Williams, Emily Watson, Dianne Wiest, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Hope Davis.
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Samantha Morton and Philip Seymour Hoffman in Synechdoche, New York.
"It wasn't always easy to keep track of, knowing which time period you were in and what set you were in, so it was important to always check in with the props person or the continuity person," Keener said in a separate interview. "Charlie is a complex guy, and so he is a complex writer. I love the way Charlie writes and have obvious affection for his writing. I love the scene where I am watching the play with my parents, and they have a less than positive reaction to the play, but it doesn't seem to have any bearing with the future play, which has never been seen."
Sometimes Keener asked Kaufman questions about the movie but didn't always get an answer. "I'm very comfortable with not knowing the answer, and I'm OK with that," she said, adding: "You just kind of step into the reality, and before you know it, you really kind of understand, and you don't' know what you understand, but if Charlie's not questioning it, and it's working for him, then it works for you."
Synechdoche, New York opened in limited release on Oct. 24, with plans to expand to major cities throughout November.
-Mike Szymanski
