Asher Goldstein
2 months ago
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Flag this This past weekend, I was one of the many audience members who flocked to see the Coen Brothers' newest outing A Serious Man. The film, in limited release, managed to pull in an impressive $41,918 per screen average. As this second weekend of release comes upon us, so does my chance to get myself out to the cinema and once again see this eye-thumbing look at what is nothing less than an existential American nightmare.
The film follows a middle class Jewish college professor who finds himself at odds with every element of his life: his kids are repulsively irreverent, his job is thankless, his neighbors pay him little respect or attention, and his over-bearing wife gives him gut-checking notice that she is leaving him for one of their family friends. He is the prototypical helpless American male--weighed down by the social constructs that supposedly give a sense of anchoring to our society.
The story is told deftly by the Brothers Coen with the masterful aid of ever impressing cinematographer Roger Deakins, whose concise camera work and lighting illuminate a carefully constructed world that brims with life thanks to the always fantastic work of costumer and production designer Mary Zophres and Jess Gonchor, respectively. So in short: this is a damn good movie, one whose story is told way more than adequately and with a highly attentive technique of craft, both from the below the line crew and the films performers alike. That said, what struck me most--and, as it seems, most people I've spoken to--are the ideas presented throughout.
Frankly speaking, to an extent this is a very Jewish, and more specifically American Jewish, film and at the same time, not one whatsoever.
I've read that the film is supposedly likened to being the "most personal" of the Coens' work as there are clear references to what need be nothing but their own autobiography speaking (if the filmmakers, who were raised in a Jewish household, grew up in one that were Catholic instead, their main character would surely find the testaments of his priest being as ridiculous and confusing as our hero’s Rabbi).
Of the folks I've spoken with, many have been frankly offended by what they've seen, generally for religious reasons. The film is set in the world of a tightly knit Jewish American community and observed with a sharply satirical eye--suggesting that the wholesome, wisdom-seeking tradition of Judaism can be just as faltering and plainly useless as many of the other traditions that are observed in this world of ours. At the film's heart, the writers are inherently suggesting that human beings are subjected to a world that is nothing but suffering-inducing, harrowing, and uncaring. Furthermore, any attempt to explain or fashion some sort of wisdom from the dire events that fill our lives will inevitably either cause one to fall to the chains of ignorant comforts (religion, and moreover, human constructions of family, home, love, occupation) or will send one off into a fit of panicked desperation until we find strength in the idea that it is all essentially meaningless. Religious, and cultural for that matter, traditions are ridiculed as useless distractions and the only "out" that said practices get occurs in one scene, in one movement, in one shot for that matter. Such an instance infers that while faith and other such constructs are generally time and soul wasting, they do provide for our meager-selves a way to experience catharsis and allow humanity to come together, giving us reason to seek the shelter of one another, even if shelter is rooted in nothing more than the stuff of make believe.
Cheery, no? The somber ideas presented are lightened by the darkened comedy that fits well into the canon of these fine auteurs, though because of its heavy, heavy references to American Judaism, it could be a bit difficult for wider audiences to find the same attraction as they did to the masterful No Country For Old Men. In short, if you are either a fan of the Coen Brothers or are simply one who enjoys thought-provoking cinema, this is certainly not one to pass up. In my eyes, this film belongs alongside the work of other existentialist authors and artists. It certainly firms up my belief that Camus or Hardy would be proud to see the Coens added to their ranks any day.
The Coens lended their filmmaking abilities to this commercial spot for the Al Gore's Reality Coalition, which seeks to spread the truth about so-called "clean coal" technologies and how this moniker is nothing more than an oxymoron. For more info on the truth behind "clean coal" visit the The Reality Coalition's website. Take Action Learn more about The Reality Coalition, an organization the Coen brothers support.
