A Serious Man

⭐8/10

This is an early Coen Bros movie that has lots of Coen hallmarks. It's artsy while still being somewhat accessible, it has funny, sharp dialogue, features a strange ending, and works on multiple levels like they usually do. The Coen Bros usually hit a nice middle-ground for me where you feel encouraged to read into stuff more after the credits role, but you're still able to enjoy yourself as you watch. 

I felt this one was maybe a touch too smart for me. This movie is about a man who is having a really bad week, with his wife leaving him, dealing with work BS, his brother having a mental breakdown, etc. But on a deeper level it's kinda about embracing mystery or embracing the unknown, or at least being okay with not knowing the answers, all sorta related to Schrodinger's cat. It's all related to lots of Jewish methos and theology too, and now that I write this all in one place, this movie is maybe about a bit too much, because I'm not sure how all these themes come together... 

And I suppose all these themes are both the movie's greatest strength, but to me also the greatest weakness. It is a movie where it is very obvious that it is trying to say more, and I found it to be a bit distracting. I like a movie with layers, but when all you're doing is trying to analyze these themes as you go, you kinda forget to appreciate the actual movie. 

And there's lots to appreciate! Again, this movie is snappy, funny, well-written, well-acted. I found the setting to be super interesting, 60s America in a hardcore Jewish community. Again, in very basic terms, this movie is fun to watch. I also must repeat that it can be fun to try to piece together everything going on. 

But in the end, I found myself overthinking what was going on and felt a little dissatisfied. For what it's worth, I think the weird ending really worked and punctuated some main themes. I still liked the movie overall, but it feels like one where you need another watch to fully appreciate it, and that simply will never happen.