Review of A Serious Man (2009) by Gabriel K — 14 Dec 2010

A black comedy on the surface, this is definitely Coen brothers' most "serious" film to date. You can certainly just get the comedy value out or it, but it's so much more. There are several interconnected (or not so much) subplots, all of which have a common theme: actions have consequences, but can you possibly know what they are? And if you think you know, what if you are wrong? Perhaps you should choose inaction? But what if inaction also have consequences? Does anyone actually know anything for certain? None of the questions are answered, perhaps the whole point is that nobody can possibly know the answer. As such, the meaning of the movie is wide open to interpretation and will certainly be debated in film schools for some time to come.

I can see why this movie draws so many negative reviews. First, it's left completely open-ended - a big turnoff for a good part of the popcorn guzzling crowd who like everything explained to them. And second, it's a bit too "Jewish" for general audience. A lot of "Jewish" sarcasm would probably be lost on someone not being exposed at all to the Jewish community.