Why does life offer more questions than answers? The Coen brothers explore the frustrations and bizarre complexity of suburban life and human relationships in the black comedy, A Serious Man.

Black comedy is like black coffee – it’s bitter but it does give you a buzz. Co-writers and directors, brothers Ethan and Joel Coen, once again show their proclivity for dark, offbeat comedy-drama in their latest film, A Serious Man. While the movie hasn’t enjoyed the same commercial success of 2008’s Burn After Reading, critics have been vociferous in their praise.

The plot revolves around the seemingly banal and monotonous life of a humble physics professor, Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg). Larry is a patient man, a devout Jew and a faithful husband and father. However, he is submitted to a series of Job-like tests, which grates at his annoying endurance. Larry’s wife, Judith (Sari Lennick) announces she wants a divorce. Moreover, she expects him to move out of their house and into the Jolly Roger motel down the road so her lover, the more capable (and aptly-named) Sy Ableman (Fred Melamed) can move in with her and their children. Larry’s son, Danny, is showing no interest in his upcoming Bar Mitzvah; someone is writing defamatory letters to Larry’s university to prevent him from getting tenure; and, his brother, Arthur, keeps getting arrested for illegal gambling.

The Coens have an absurd sense of humour which is not always to everyone’s taste, but A Serious Man is filled with wit. Scenes, such as the one in which a student tries to bribe Larry for better marks, or Larry’s exploration of his “newfound freedoms” with his attractive, dope-smoking neighbour, are seriously funny. This does not mean the movie is not ‘easy’ to watch. My neighbour in the cinema was quite vocal about how frustrated she felt by the film (have people completely forgotten about movie etiquette?). Indeed, it is incredibly annoying to watch Larry being treated like a doormat and simply taking it, yet this just serves to demonstrate the brilliance of the Coen brothers – the viewer is able to experience the frustration the protagonist himself is experiencing.

Larry’s tribulations lead him to ask those central questions we all have. “Why does God make us feel the questions if He’s not gonna give us any answers?” he asks three different Rabbis. None of them is able to give him an explanation. All Larry really wants is to be respected, to practise his faith in peace, to be a serious man. But life and human relationships are not like the science Larry teaches: there are no laws or fixed principles.

A Serious Man is an intelligent comedy - that is, the humour isn’t typically ‘Hollywood’ with both the jokes and punch lines handed to you on a platter. Those unfamiliar with the Coen’s oeuvre may find it tedious or peculiar, but fans will not be disappointed.

Rating: 3½ out of 5
Writers & Directors: Ethan and Joel Coen
Cast: Michael Stuhlbarg, Sari Lennick, Fred Melamed
Awards: Academy Award Nominations for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay
Release date: A Serious Man is currently showing at Cinema Nouveau.

About the author: Andrea has always had an insatiable curiosity and thirst for knowledge. She obtained her Journalism degree at the University of Pretoria and subsequently also completed her honours degree in Visual Studies at UP. She is currently working as a freelance film reviewer and radio news reader. She has a weakness for film and (good) television, and regularly writes reviews for Artslink.co.za and her blog, http://rantandravereviews.blogspot.com. She is also on Twitter under www.twitter.com/andyrantandrave.

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