Possibly the darkest, bleakest, most hopeless movie I have ever seen (and if you know me, then you know that my tastes run to the harsher side of cinema, so that is saying something). I am trying to find a way to view this movie as something other than a scathing critique of Judiasm, but I'm not having any luck so far. Any thoughts on this one?
6 comments:
Eh. There were some interesting tidbits, I guess. It just was like, okay. It was well done, but not all that entertaining. I like the crisp imagery, but I cannot imagine paying money to see this film in a theater. It took me two viewings to get through the whole thing at home.
Man oh man I disagree with you both. A bleaker movie? Ice Storm (1997). And a scathing critque of Judaism? Absolutely not, says the Jew. Gopnik tries to do right, but life makes this hard. His religion, what should provide a clear guide on how to live your life, is not providing this path (and maybe we need to rethink what religion is, maybe the perplexed rabbis are right on by not knowing answers). So you shrug your shoulders and get back to bumbling through life. Curiously, it's a religious ceremony that reunites the bickering couple....is it the religion/god/faith? Or is it community strength?
and--- Sy was hilarious, as was the stoned bar mitzvah.
"His religion, what should provide a clear guide on how to live your life, is not providing this path."
That is exactly my point about the critique of Judaism that seems to be inherent in the film. His life is falling apart around him and he doesn't know why, and when he looks to his faith for answers he finds none.
He looks to his religious leaders and they are either young and foolish, middle-aged and irrelevant, or very old and uninterested. His wife wants a ritual divorce even though she has already violated the rules which would allow it, and his son is only going through the motions of his bar mitzvah (not to mention that he is more than likely going to be killed by a tornado at the end of the movie). Take all this together with the vignette at the beginning of the movie where a man is murdered because of a religious superstition and you have a movie that says "You are all wasting your time."
(Although the identity of the couple in the vignette is never identified, you could infer that they are Larry's ancestors, and that Larry truly is cursed because of their actions. If that is the case, then the message of the movie is that "Hashem is a vindictive bastard," in which case the critique of Judaism is "Why would you worship such an asshole?")
And can we really say that Larry and his wife are reunited at the end of the movie? After all, Sy dies of a heart attack, so she really has nowhere to go but home. It's true that they are jointly proud of their son at his bar mitzvah, but that's not the same as reconciliation.
Having said that, I should also say that I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, and I will probably buy it at some point in the future. As far as THE ICE STORM being bleaker, I say "Hah!" That movie shows the hollow world of suburbia in the late 70's, whereas A SERIOUS MAN shows the hollow world of an entire religion.
Your thoughts?
I'll work backwards: we need to define bleak. For me, dead children/ neglected and 'lost' children whose parents are too wrapped up in their own lives to be present are much bleaker than an adult with marital problems who is questioning god/religion. Sure, the kids in "serious man" are a pain in the ass, selfish, but that's just the reality of teens. What makes Ice Storm esp. bleak for me is that these are families with the means to provide for their kids. The luxury to have stay at home moms, basic needs are covered, so on. It just makes the death much more unnecessary-we arent' talking inner city yout where a death is inevitable. So, that's where I come up with a bleaker movie.
moving onward-
Maybe if I were a religious person I'd feel differently about this movie. I can't help but think that people are asking too much of their religious leaders and their relgion in general to provide a path in life. I think that's what Gopnik expects, but doesn't discover. I appreciate that the religious leaders are foolish and irrelevant, because although they are scholars of judaism, to me it rings true that they can't provide the answers, that you need to find the answers for yourself. they are mortal men with mortal problems (and interests, like say a parking lot...). Perhaps this is a scathing critique of religion, but hardly of Judaism. I would also say that centuries of antisemitism lend to this attitude (always played on in pop culture--and why not, it's funny) of life is shit, the worst is yet to come. But, it's god's will. god knows best, god has a reason, we don't question god,this is our burden. Why is god doing all of this to Gopnik? And here is Gopnik, looking for answers. The answer may be that by asking the question you are questioning god...and you will be punished when you kid is whipped away in a huricane.
The beginning of the movie: I like this. I like that it is a reminder of the power women have in judaism. Truly seperate but equal, and in many ways the woman serves a more important function. Granted, this vignette wasn't created to showcase the power of jewish women, but this is what I see, and why I enjoy, the beginning. And the woman stabs the ghost and sends him on his way. Life goes on, the woman keeps the home safe. I don't see it as a curse, but instead as people doing what they need to do to get by in life. they were haunted, they dealt with it. Gopnik is haunted, and he must deal with it.
And, as for the reuniting during the bar mitzvah---I'm not suggesting that they reunite and are happily ever after. I'm suggesting that, sure she has no where else to go, but during the bar mitzvah they give each other a look and I think touch hands. To me this is an opportunity for them to have their eyes opened and see what their lives together has produced---a proud moment for them that is highglighted by it's importance in their community--and maybe they can save the marriage after all. As for the kid being stoned, I'd say most kids don't really care about the rituals and meaning of religion, that people only begin to draw on their religious experiences later in life. Again, this is just a kid being a kid.
Matt?
I'm not sure why my comment was posted twice. user error, i suppose.
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