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Is Synecdoche New York an Unintentional Rip Off of Fellini's 8½?

"All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts." -William Shakespeare, from As You Like It.

While it is often cliché to quote Shakespeare, no words ring more true when attempting to analytically examine two films that share more than just themes and narrative elements: Frederico Fellini's 1963 classic 8½ and Charlie Kaufman's 2008 enigmatic film Synecdoche, New York. Aren't all men merely playing out the destiny given to them, taking cues and direction while slowly losing grip on one's own life?