silverautumn
BrentonA Serious Man Review
August 13th 2010 19:27
I saw the trailer to A Serious Man around November last year, and I quickly wrote it down as a film to see. It looked hilarious.
And it was. Not so much in an 'LOL' sense- more like an ironic kind of humor. It's a dark comedy about a period of Larry Gopnik's life that is not going well. There's just one bad happenstance after another.
The funny thing about this is how Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlberg) doesn't really do anything. Stuff happens to him, he reacts but he never puts his foot down to stop it or to oppose it.
What I found fascinating about this movie was the beginning and the end. The film opens up a folktale. This film then skips to the 1960s without any explanation for the intro. This, I believe, challenges the viewer to make connections for themselves and search for meaning in Larry Gopnik's life as he tries to find it himself.
The movie ends rather abruptly, but appropriately. It ends when Larry finally does something to change his fortune. But this ultimately backfires with an ominous phone call and an oncoming tornado. This leaves the audience to reconcile the film for themselves, to consider Larry's life and struggles.
Beautifully acted and directed- I agree with other critics that this may be the Coen brothers' best film to date.
And it was. Not so much in an 'LOL' sense- more like an ironic kind of humor. It's a dark comedy about a period of Larry Gopnik's life that is not going well. There's just one bad happenstance after another.
The funny thing about this is how Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlberg) doesn't really do anything. Stuff happens to him, he reacts but he never puts his foot down to stop it or to oppose it.
What I found fascinating about this movie was the beginning and the end. The film opens up a folktale. This film then skips to the 1960s without any explanation for the intro. This, I believe, challenges the viewer to make connections for themselves and search for meaning in Larry Gopnik's life as he tries to find it himself.
The movie ends rather abruptly, but appropriately. It ends when Larry finally does something to change his fortune. But this ultimately backfires with an ominous phone call and an oncoming tornado. This leaves the audience to reconcile the film for themselves, to consider Larry's life and struggles.
Beautifully acted and directed- I agree with other critics that this may be the Coen brothers' best film to date.
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