To call Charlie Kaufman’s opus multilayered would be an understatement – this deeply existential, profoundly loving, and stylistically ambitious film must be experienced to be understood. Directed by Spike Jonze and nominally about a Kaufman self-insert played by Nic Cage trying to adapt a real book, The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean, into a film, it’s really a deep dive into the miasma of self-hatred, identity formation, and the meaning of life. But it’s not all doom and gloom. There’s a lot of humor, too, thanks to Meryl Streep and Chris Cooper, and of course Cage himself, playing here both a sad-sack loser and his goofy, self-loving brother. Much to consider. – Lina Fisher
