The Coen brothers' A Serious Man is a movie I would have expected at the end of their career, to explain why none of their previous films have full and satisfying explanations. The story follows a middle-aged Larry Gopnik (Stuhlbarg) as his decidedly adequate life slowly starts to crumble. His wife is leaving him to be with a recently widowed Sy Ableman (Melamed) while his brother (Kind) finds himself caught up in criminal activities. His son is listening to rock and roll when he should be studying Hebrew and his daughter is stealing money for a nose job. His physics student is attempting to bribe him to change his failing grade, derogatory letters are being anonymously sent to the committee responsible for granting him tenure, and one of his neighbors is slowly encroaching on his property line while the other is unwittingly tempting him with her nude sunbathing. What is a good Jew to do?
The writing and directing are as perfect as always. The precise, purposeful camera movements and shot compositions make the movie feel rich and complete. The editing is spot-on, with impeccable timing that both resists and embraces cuts for comic or dramatic effect. The acting by Stuhlbarg is remarkably expressive; he projects all the information you need to know about his internal emotional state from the movement of his eyebrows alone. The changes in vocal tone evoke more than the words he speaks. The way he moves his body tells the story better than the Coens' own written actions. He is the essence of this movie, and he carries the entire film exceptionally well.
You feel for Larry. Not because you know what it's like to go through a divorce or get blackmailed, but because you know that when bad things happen, they don't come alone, but all together in a ferocious whirlwind that leaves you deflated and defeated. Larry is the optimist we all hope to be; he doesn't wave a white flag without a fight. Instead he seeks out advice from a number of different rabbis. He asks them what God is trying to tell him through his suffering. But the rabbis either tell him to change his perspective, reassure him that it will all pass, or ignore him. And just as the movie seems to be approaching a resolution, just as it seems as if it will all be explained, it ends.
That seems to be how a number of Coen brothers movies go. The brothers direct each shot of each scene of each movie with purpose, but never explain the purpose behind it. But in A Serious Man we get a better clue as to their point of view. A Serious Man is apparently a modern retelling of the Book of Job, in which Job is victim to misfortune upon misfortune. He asks God why, but God does not tell him. It is not God's responsibility to explain our own life to us. Maybe it is good enough that we ask questions about our purpose in life. God has done his job. And just as the Coens have created their movies, they are not responsible for explaining their meanings to the audience. They are successful as long as they make you ask questions. Whether or not you find the answers is up to you.IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1019452/