A serious Man (Movie Review)
Mazel Tov 🎉 to a movie review entangled in philosophy
A serious Man is a movie i discovered messing around at the colors of motion website which i got introduced to by Frectonz. The movie was a bit confusing and interesting to watch in some ways took me a bit of researching reading and thinking to figure out some stuff.
A Serious Man comedy-drama film written, produced, edited, and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. Set in 1967, the film stars Michael Stuhlbarg as Larry Gopnik, a Minnesotan Jewish man whose life crumbles both professionally and personally, leading him to question his faith.
The film explores a number of philosophical themes,
The nature of free will and determinism
determinism something Frectonz talked about in his blog The Glory of Determinism (suggest reading after you finished reading this one ofcourse 😉). So Larry is confronted with a series of events that seem to be beyond his control, leading him to question whether he has any free will at all. The film also explores the idea of determinism, the belief that everything that happens is predetermined and that we have no control over our destiny.
The problem of evil
Larry is a good man who suffers greatly, leading him to question why God allows bad things to happen to good people. The film does not offer any easy answers to this question, but it does explore different ways of thinking about the problem of evil. And i do think that the movie tried to cover this by showing us the dybbuk in the first scene but idk.
The nature of faith
Larry’s faith is shaken by the events in his life, but he never completely gives up on it. The film explores the different ways in which people can experience faith, and it suggests that faith can be a source of strength and comfort even in the face of adversity. Ending Variations, something Frectonz would highly agree on.
The ending of A Serious Man is ambiguous and has been interpreted in many different ways. Here are a few variations on the ending, i mean no movie ending has confused me like this except donnie darko, enemy, tenet and most movies which Jake Gyllenhaal is involved in and a bunch of other movies but i won’t rant about it now.
The tornado hits
The film ends with a tornado approaching the Hebrew school where Larry’s son Danny is a student. The implication is that the tornado hits the school and kills Danny. This is the most pessimistic interpretation of the ending, and it suggests that Larry’s suffering is pointless and that there is no justice in the world.
The tornado misses
The film ends with the tornado approaching the Hebrew school, but it is unclear whether or not it actually hits. This is a more ambiguous interpretation of the ending, and it suggests that Larry’s suffering may have some meaning, even if it is not clear what that meaning is.
The tornado is a metaphor
The tornado can be seen as a metaphor for the chaos and uncertainty of life. Larry is a good man who tries to live a moral life, but he is still subjected to suffering and misfortune. This interpretation of the ending suggests that the Coen brothers are not offering any easy answers to the philosophical questions that the film raises.
A Serious Man is a complex and thought-provoking film that explores a number of deep philosophical questions. The film does not offer any easy answers to these questions, but it does invite the viewer to think about them in new and different ways. I hate those type of movies but also love them cause it keeps lingering in the back of my mind.
And film’s ambiguous ending is one of its strengths. It forces the viewer to think about the film’s meaning and to come to their own conclusions. it is a movie that will stay with you even after watching it.
there could be more philosophical thoughts i could have linked this with like absurdism or existentialism but that would just drag the movie but this i think is the great part about this moive your the one who writes the ending. Hope you enjoyed this read and don’t forget to check out Frectonz essays