Growing up in Minnesota and being a fan of films, I've always had some idea as to who the Coen Brothers were. I'd hear their names on and off through the years via the local news or review shows along the lines of Siskel and Ebert. Yet, as a film novice, I commonly associated their names with their most mainstream works. The most notable ones being "Fargo" and "The Big Lebowski". Well, maybe Lebowski wasn't initially that mainstream, but you get my point. But I saw a new side to the Coen brothers in my first year of college when I saw their film "Barton Fink" in my art of film class. I remember once the film was finished, I really didn't know what to think. In many ways I didn't get it then and I still don't get it now, but there was a mystery and philosophical undertone present that grasped me from the film's opening frame. For those of you who have seen "Barton Fink", I think you'd agree with me when I say that it's the type of movie that is extremely tough to digest. Especially tougher than the Coen brother's other films like "No Country for Old Men" and "Burn After Reading". But it has a certain aura to it that makes you think long after the film has ended.
That's why, if and when you watch the Coen brother's latest feature "A Serious Man", you'll understand why I think it plays more like "Barton Fink" than it does the Coen's previous efforts. It's certainly a dark film with a comedic edge, but it ends up creating more questions than it does answers, which is something that baffles most viewers, but not me. I relish a film that is willing to be more ambiguous than explicit. So, let's lay the foundation. "A Serious Man" drops us in the life of Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg), a 40 something Jewish man residing in the safe confines of St. Louis Park, Minnesota circa the late 60's. Everything seems to be going well for Larry. He's married, he has two kids( his son is on pace for his Bar Mitzvah), and he's on the list to be tenured as a professor. What a life Larry seems to be living. Oh, but things change and as most of those who've seen a Coen brothers film know, they change in dark and surprising ways. First, one of Larry's failing students is attempting to bribe him for a passing grade. Then, out of the blue, Larry's wife wants to divorce him in order to devote her time to her new lover Sy Ableman, who oddly enough is an acquaintance of Larry's. To make matters worse, Larry's son is having behavioral issues at school, his daughter is stealing money from him for a nose job, his brother is living in his house with no signs of leaving, and Larry's tenure at his college is in jeopardy when anonymous letters are being sent to the school that denigrate Larry.
Suddenly Larry's suburban dream begins to unravel in a hilarious fashion that brings on dark consequences for most of the characters involved. As with most Coen brothers movies, the film has a terrific cast that is more than willing to combine the Coen's dark, subversive humor with their grim plotting. Yet for as many surprising and funny twists the Coens toss at us, they truly score with their perspective of religion. See, initially Larry is a man who tries to rationalize the ways of the world through science and empirical formulas. But, as Larry's problems continue to swell, he soon feels that there has to be more to it all than scientific reasoning, and thus he finds a new way to rationalize his bad streak: it's all crafted by the hand of religion and now he must consult his rabbis. Through out the film, Larry consults two rabbis and attempts to ask a third why his life has been afflicted in such a fashion. Is it a sign from God that he needs to behave a certain way? Is this God's way of punishing him? Or is it simply bad timing? It's through Larry's conversations with the rabbis where we can see a man desperately searching for answers and getting no real response. With this idea, the Coen brothers explore the notion of whether life is a string of coincidences or part of some grand scheme run by God himself. Through this, they put the character of Larry through the meat grinder as he flips back and forth trying to find answers that his religion and science can't provide him with. Actor Michael Stuhlbarg does a terrific job as Larry as he is able to capture the rising anxiety of a man who finds that the more he digs for the answers, the more questions he unearths.
What is a man to do? It's at this point that the Coen brothers deliver their best and work their way to an ending that is almost like a tease. I don't want to spoil it, but the film ends with two central characters possibly seeing their doom...or not. I say 'not' because the film's ending can have a variety of interpretations. This is especially true considering how the film has built a mythos revolving around religion, fate, and looking for symbols within life. This is a classic Coen brothers move. Not only are they stifling their characters, but the viewer as well, as they dare us to swim through the ambiguity and to determine our own resolution. Does the film's ending (or it's entirety) show the wrath of God descending on Larry, or is it simply Larry reading too far in to these random moments of his life? Or are the Coen's going meta and being critical of not only Larry, but also the audience in their search of finding some resolution and clarity within the film? About half way through the film, a character says to Larry "Please. Accept the mystery." This notion is the beauty of "A Serious Man", as it gives us the space to either 'accept the mystery' of Larry's life and move on, or to dig deeper, as a means to find a religious or scientific explanation. In any event, the film is an engaging piece of work that resembles our own rationalizations for the questions that seemingly have no answers.
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