Synecdoche, New York

Synecdoche, New York (2008), directed by Charlie Kaufman starring Philip Hoffman tells a story about a theater directer Caden Cotard, who is consumed by his fear of death as his life around him falls apart. With numerous medical ailments and separation from his wife and daughter, Cotard resorts to his profession in theater and constructs a piece that reflects his inability to confront his reality. In a warehouse, he replicates parts of the city of New York. He recruits more and more cast members and more and more years pass by without a finished product. Caden loses himself in his theater world and the world outside the warehouse, which ultimately leads to his death.

This seems like an extreme depiction of a mid-life crisis story. Being separated from your family, learning you might die, burying yourself in your artwork, and losing control of your self in this inevitable downward spiral...

It seems as though his fear of death seeped into every part of his life that pertained value and life to him. To what extent does one's fear of death inhibit one's ability to live? Is this an accurate portrayal of a mid-life crisis?