I remember the first time I was introduced to the Coen Brothers. I was quite young at the time but my Dad made me come along to a small art house cinema, the Dendy George Street (this was a time when Village, Greater Union and Hoyts were still three separate cinemas on George Street, Dendy in this location doesn't exist anymore, something I hope my kicking and screaming didn't contribute to). We were going to see a film starring Tim Robbins about the invention of the hula hoop and the bending straw. It was meant to be good for me my Dad said, like broccoli. To me the film sounded hideously boring and at the time it was.
A lot has happened since then. I discovered 'Fargo' on VHS when it was on discount as an ex-rental at Video Ezy. Upon popping it into the VCR I fell in love. As I got older I started to shift through other Coen releases, eventually going all the way back to 'Blood Simple'. I caught a train to the city centre just for the release of 'The Man Who Wasn't There'. I even revisited 'The Hudsucker Proxy' though it still one of their films that sits most uncomfortably with me.
I went through the disasters of 'Intolerable Cruelty' and 'The Ladykillers' with the Coen Brothers, and although these were trying times, I never turned my back on them as filmmakers, their back catalogue was too strong.
So I was less then optimistic then I went to see 'No Country For Old Men' but I, like many, was blown away, the brothers had restored themselves in my eyes, again they could do no wrong. I didn't rush to see 'Burn After Reading' but when I did, I thought the film was very funny, even if I was the only person in the cinema laughing.
So then comes 'A Serious Man', one or two oddly recognisable actors (the claim that the Coen Brothers weren't working with any actors they had worked with before turns out, again, not entirely true) but the leads I have never seen before. It tells the story of Larry Gopnik, a Jewish American man on the brink of a mid-life crisis as he is left by his wife, has minor disputes with his neighbours, finds his career threatened by bribes and shelters his eccentric and slightly criminal brother. This time round I couldn't contain my excitement to see this film and rushed to the cinema on opening day.
'A Serious Man' is a thoughtful depiction of the horrors of middle-class living and an examination on what the pain and suffering all means. Gopnik finds his life unravelling and looks for answers, but like many Coen Brothers characters, those who go looking for answers only really end up with more questions.
Gopnik never quite has the breakdown we would expect but things never get better for him, the film is most about preserving in the face of the storm. The Coen Brothers walk a careful line between optimism and pessimism, never giving into one over the other a far easier option.
In it's very suburban setting the film can't help but recall every other American film that has chosen to examine such an environment. But in the medicoracy of all the characters and their actions, it is a much more realistic and therefore identifiable picture of this lifestyle, making the trials much more universal. It is not desperate to find the underlying beauty or a grand story about the human condition, like say Sam Mendes, but by avoiding such it is much more accepting of the characters.
It is an unsettling film from the brothers but also one of their most sharply comedic. It is impossible to know what trial is going to come next for Gopnik and the unexpected always brings a laugh. The absurd culture clashes Gopnik has with a South Korean student are among the funniest and surreal exchanges they have written.
Central to the film's success is the measured performance by Michael Stuhlbarg, it feels like it could have been a role that an actor could of easily ran away with like Tom Hanks did in 'The Ladykillers'. But Stuhlbarg restrains himself and with excellent results. It is helped by the the number of other character actors that fill out the supporting roles without any major missteps.
The tone at times seems less confident than other Coen Brothers films, but I think this owes mostly to the choice of subject. With films full of murder, robbery, kidnappings and chases, this film is simply about a man taking everything that 'God' tests him with and trying to understand these tests. It is an understated film and somehow the less than confident tone suits the content.
I couldn't happier that I have been treated with a new, thoughtful and carefully constructed film from the Coen Brothers, two of the best working American filmmakers. I can look back now and realise that about this my Dad was right, that film he dragged me to years ago was good for me.
