A Serious Man Directed by: Ethan Coen & Joel Coen Cast: Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Kind, Fred Melamed, Aaron Wolff Running Time: 1 hr 45 mins Rating: R Release Date: October 9, 2009
PLOT: A man (Stuhlbarg) whose life is slowly falling apart in 1967 seeks wisdom from his local rabbis.
WHO'S IT FOR? This is open to anyone who wants to experience a film that is thought provoking, and almost soul searching. It is not a "black comedy," as some have said. This is a realistic drama, but it never has a dull moment.
EXPECTATIONS: I had not seen the trailer before hand. But when the Coen Brothers are involved, no preview should be necessary.
CLICK HERE to read Allen's interview with Michael Stuhlbarg
SCORECARD (0-10)
ACTORS:
Michael Stuhlbarg as Larry Gopnik: With the world constantly turning away and leaving him behind in the ruins that are fragments of his pride, this constantly cornered character never rings untrue. The math professor and divorced husband is a strong lead concocted by the Coen Brothers that is neither an idiot nor a violent reactionary to the idiots around him. Instead he’s the tragic deer in the headlights, but the one that actually gets smashed by the front of a truck, and is left on the side of the road, gasping towards its final breath. Stuhlbarg does incredible work with this sincere character, and here's hoping that this won’t be the last time he gets a nomination for Best Actor. Score: 10
Richard Kind as Arthur: This disturbed uncle has an odd, cloudy presence, and is the least decipherable of characters in A Serious Man. His details left a tad too vague, he could have surely benefited from a few more nuggets of info about his history of "brilliance." Kind is given a chance to show his chops playing crazy, but his wacko performance of Arthur isn't close to being why A Serious Man is such an accomplished film. Score: 7
Fred Melamed as Sy Abelman: This proclaimed “serious man” is more of a serious parasite in that he takes nearly all parts of Larry’s life and eventually claims them as his own. The notoriety that this relatively normal character earns within the film is partly designated by his constantly made connection with Gopnik. Played calmly by the familiar face of Fred Melamed, Sy Abelman is the newest addition to the Coen’s legacy of memorable side characters. And what a great name, too. Score: 8
Aaron Wolff as Danny Gopnik: Watching this red haired, 12-year-old student smoke pot and quietly rebel against the strict teachings of Judaism forced down his throat, it is difficult to not think there is a little Coen angst being mirrored into this character. That being said, he is probably the most direct outlet of the religious grudge the Coen's dole out to different areas of their script, which is packed with images of how people view faith. The talented young Wolff allows such comparisons to be made without thoughts of a rocky performance. Score: 8
TALKING: A good amount of Hebrew words are thrown around, but most of the terms are not entailed with a definition. Fitting for the dialogue is the limited vernacular offered to the Jewish schoolboys – their forced cuss vomiting of four letter words is both funny and true to every young man’s brush with delinquency. Score: 8
SIGHTS: The cinematography is more about composition than showmanship, which is a departure from the slightly flashy Burn After Reading (which was not shot by A Serious Man's Roger Deakins). The No Country for Old Men director of photography continues his magnificent work with murky lighting and framework, and provides many shots that will stick in our brains for some time. The image from the film’s seemingly plain poster is just the tip of the subtle visual beauty seen throughout. Score: 9
SOUNDS: A lieder piece (Schubert?) is heard in selective moments of the film, but is implemented more remarkably at the chilling finale. The usage of Jefferson Airplane's classic "Don't You Want Somebody To Love" is a clever little easter egg for viewers of the film once they wrap their heads around the overall message. A few other fuzz guitar songs, one or two including Hendrix, help make this one of their more rocking soundtracks. Score: 8
PLOT SPOILERS
BEST SCENE: This question can't be answered easily ... possibly the scene where Hashem is compared to a parking lot. I will just leave it at that.
ENDING: Keeping up with a recent string of Coen Brothers movies, the end of A Serious Man is sudden, but at exactly the right time. The last few frames will probably be in your head for days.
QUESTIONS: "Don't you want somebody to love?"
REWATCHABILITY: Loaded with symbols and a whole lot of subtext, this terrifically intelligent film can be viewed more than once and still not be completely understood.
OVERALL
With three rabbis, a bar mitzvah, and a heavy amount of Hebrew terminology, A Serious Man is very much a Jewish film, but it is by no means exclusive to any religion. With a setup similar to their own upbringing, the latest movie from the Coen Brothers bravely questions the validity of the “answers” ingrained by strict faith into desperate adults and disillusioned children alike. It is courageously sarcastic about the “wisdom” of a rabbi, (giving them humorous title cards when they are introduced), while using the terrible events that occur to one unfortunate man as a catalyst to debate whether there's any reason behind our suffering. Is this how the world works, or is a higher being that we try to love choosing not to defend us? Along with a brilliant performance from Stuhlbarg and gorgeous framing work from Roger Deakins, the script of A Serious Man deserves an audience, as it will likely be one of the most powerful movies seen in 2009.
This remarkable film should certainly be seen as its own product of greatness. However, when placed in comparison to a great amount stories previously shared from the directors of Burn After Reading, Fargo, etc., this new film feels as cleansing as a sort of baptism. A Serious Man is too busy aiming with the same serious and religiously defiant weapons used by geniuses like Ingmar Bergman to let idiots run rampant in a world that is meant to be a fun-house mirror of our own. This film is not “Coen-descending,” as I like to call it. Should this film be considered that at all, it is only challenging to the work done by one Goliath of an opponent – God.
FINAL SCORE: 9/10