A Serious Man

[David]

I really liked it, but I don't feel like I should talk about it seriously till seeing it at least one more time.

[crumbum]

Regarding the last sequence (spoilers, obviously):

I really need to see this at least once more before I can really feel like I've wrapped my mind around what I think is going on and articulate my thoughts with any confidence. That being said, I didn't necessarily take the tornado as being retribution for changing the students grade, although that's an interesting take I'll have to think about.

I just took it as being part of the bait-and-switch that was going on in those last scenes. You know, you think he's going to get his tenure, he's going to use the bribe money to pay his bills, and you see that sense of relief wash over him. You start to think it's is a movie about how God doesn't give us any more than we can handle, joy and sorrow come in moderation, all that hopelessness was just a red herring, etc. But then the tornado comes and you realize, nope - God will BEAT YOU DOWN for no reason with no warning. 

Not to mention the phone call he gets from the doctor.

The way the I remember the ending being edited, the signs all pointed to divine retribution. Everything seems to be turning around for him, then he weakens and changes the grade, and within seconds the doctor calls and the tornado warning happens at the school.  Admittedly we don't actually know if the doctor's news is terrible (though it seems likely) and we don't know if the kids will get into the shelter in time.

It is one hell of an ending though. The music and imagery together are haunting.

[Pat K]

Thought the eye make up of the neighbor was odd.

Maybe...get this... she was like....God...right? Dudes - think about it.

[Bryan]

Regarding the last sequence (spoilers, obviously):

I really need to see this at least once more before I can really feel like I've wrapped my mind around what I think is going on and articulate my thoughts with any confidence. That being said, I didn't necessarily take the tornado as being retribution for changing the students grade, although that's an interesting take I'll have to think about.

I just took it as being part of the bait-and-switch that was going on in those last scenes. You know, you think he's going to get his tenure, he's going to use the bribe money to pay his bills, and you see that sense of relief wash over him. You start to think it's is a movie about how God doesn't give us any more than we can handle, joy and sorrow come in moderation, all that hopelessness was just a red herring, etc. But then the tornado comes and you realize, nope - God will BEAT YOU DOWN for no reason with no warning. 

Not to mention the phone call he gets from the doctor.

The way the I remember the ending being edited, the signs all pointed to divine retribution. Everything seems to be turning around for him, then he weakens and changes the grade, and within seconds the doctor calls and the tornado warning happens at the school.  Admittedly we don't actually know if the doctor's news is terrible (though it seems likely) and we don't know if the kids will get into the shelter in time.

It is one hell of an ending though. The music and imagery together are haunting.

I finally saw this last night. I also didn't think that the final moments suggested divine retribution. (I actually didn't make the connection between the grade change and the phone call that immediately follows it until it was pointed out to me.)

Bad shit is raining down on Gopnik for the whole movie, and he is (or believes he is) innocent. So why's it happening? No reason. Shit happens. So then he commits a minor sin, and bad shit continues to happen. We feel like now he's being justifiably punished, but really, it's just the same shit happening. Still for no reason.

[redsplitwig]

Saw this in the theater here and it was great to listen to people laugh at the little Twin Cities references (the Hole, Ron Meshbesher, etc.).  Really enjoyed it.  I thought the beginning was more puzzling than the ending.

[Keith Whitener]

Bad shit is raining down on Gopnik for the whole movie, and he is (or believes he is) innocent. So why's it happening? No reason. Shit happens. So then he commits a minor sin, and bad shit continues to happen. We feel like now he's being justifiably punished, but really, it's just the same shit happening. Still for no reason.

I like this take, although many of these takes are not mutually exclusive. Part of the fun is the different ways in which this film can be interpreted. So many of the interpretations challenge how it is that people make sense of the world! I think that's great.

[thom]

I also did not interpret the grade change as what brought about the tornado and medical results.
But these two acceptable readings of that scene is the essential point of the story.
A third (and unacceptable) reading of the scene is that God won't accept any grade under a 74.

Two more things: that sequence with the teeth was awesome.

A SERIOUS MAN has the best fast-paced-overlapping-chaos dialogue ever.

[Bryan]

I also did not interpret the grade change as what brought about the tornado and medical results.
But these two acceptable readings of that scene is the essential point of the story.

Further reflection today made me come to this conclusion, too. It's the same as in the prologue: because the wife believes, and the husband does not believe, they are witnessing two separate events.

[thom]

I also did not interpret the grade change as what brought about the tornado and medical results.
But these two acceptable readings of that scene is the essential point of the story.

Further reflection today made me come to this conclusion, too. It's the same as in the prologue: because the wife believes, and the husband does not believe, they are witnessing two separate events.

DOYYYY--I tried to force some reason for the prologue. Until just now I thought it was to make A Serious Man officially the Jewiest movie ever.

[Joe Rogaine]

Anybody else notice the brief mention of Tuckman/Marsh the same firm from Burn After Reading?

I thought the score sounded  a lot like Blood Simple do you think that was on purpose to coincide with the quote at the beginning?

I aslo thought the teeth sequence was amazing, i liked how they split it up in three parts for the three different rabbis.

[JonFromMaplewood]

I like how the ending can be debated like the Talmud.

[samir]

Just saw this today - I didn't enjoy much of it while watching it, but the more I think about it afterwards, the more I like. The intro sequence at the schetl (sp?) was very enigmatic.

[yesno]

Every character was awesome in this movie.

[jbissell]

Turns out the dentist is married to one of my mom's relatives. I remember her telling me about him having a role in a Coen movie, but wasn't expecting it to be as big as it was.

[Pat K]

Great piece on Slate.com this morning talking about the movie.