Charlie Kaufman is at least 6 times smarter than me, and I’m totally okay with that.  While Being John Malkovich,  Adaptation and Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, all written by Kaufman, are three of my favourite films in recent memory, I don’t for a moment presume I really got them.  In any case, Kaufman’s latest effort and directorial debut looks to be a return to form, with the playfully titled Synedoche, New York.

If you’re asking where the joke is, you’re not alone.  Apparently it’s a play on the name of the city of Shenectady, and the figure of speech ‘synecdoche’ which is using a part to represent a whole (or vice versa) as in ‘50 head of cattle’.  I looked it up.  And no, I still don’t get it.

Casting is complete and Kaufman has lined up an impressive stable of talent, including Capote stars Philip Seymour Hoffman and Catherine Keener as well as Michelle Williams, Samantha Morton, and Tilda Swinton.  The story centers around a theater director (Hoffman) who struggles with work, women and life in general as he builds a replica of New York City inside a warehouse to be used in his upcoming play.

Scheduled for a late 2007 release, Synedoche looks like it's going to be awesome.  Even if I don't get it.