Gottleib is in trouble. Since the death of his wife, Ben (Jason Schwartzman) has found himself in a place of personal and professional crisis. He’s moved back in with his mothers, Meira (Caroline Aaron) and Judith (Dolly de Leon), following the sudden death of his wife a year ago, and still can’t perform his job as the cantor for his local synagogue because he’s lost his voice. Depression and loneliness lead Ben to a dive bar, where, after one too many mudslides (that’s vodka, Irish cream, coffee liqueur and heavy cream in case you were wondering) he gets into it with another patron, who promptly knocks his lights out.
When he comes to, a kindly older lady – who had earlier been performing karaoke in the back room – is standing over him concerned. Carla Kessler (Carole Kane) helps Ben to his feet and insists on driving him home. Later, she turns up at the bar and bat mitzvah class he’s teaching…hoping to become his latest student. It turns out that Carla used to teach Ben music when he was a fifth grader, and despite the odd situation the pair find themselves in, they forge an unlikely – but very sweet – friendship.
Although Between the Temples boasts a significantly higher profile cast than director Nathan Silver’s eight previous features, the film retains many hallmarks of the New York indie scene mainstay. He wrote the script with his collaborator C. Mason Wells, while Sean Price Williams – the city’s hottest cinematographer, recently turned feature filmmaker himself with The Sweet East – shot the film on 16mm, giving the footage a wonderful warmth and intimacy. John Magary, another Silver regular, compliments the images with his playful, jittery editing, creating a viewing experience that is as fractured and whirling as our cantor in crisis.
As Ben opens up to Carla about his painful circumstances, the well-meaning but meddling Judith attempts to set up a potential date between him and their friend Rabbi Bruce’s daughter Gabby (Madeline Weinstein), a struggling actress embarrassed by her father’s interference in her love life. While Gabby is instantly intrigued by the neurotic, hangdog Ben, he’s still grieving and struggling to get his life back on track (or even know what track he wants to be on).
The odd couple set-up is reminiscent of Harold and Maude, and the excellent soundtrack even feels like a nod to the Hal Ashby classic, but Ben’s problem isn’t so much that he wants to die (in fact, he’s very concerned about what happens after death) but that he’s completely forgotten how to live. He’s unsure if he wants Carla to be a friend, lover or parent, taking to staying in her house in her adult son’s bedroom and wearing his pyjamas (something that her son is extremely unhappy about when he finds out).
Although Schwartzman and Kane are playing characters within their wheelhouse, their chemistry together is a joy with every line of dialogue feeling completely natural to the extent it feels like we’re peeking through the window to catch their private conversations. Ben’s initial defensiveness and Carla’s tendency to deflect through whimsy soon give way to a genuine connection, forged out of a desire to be truly seen by another person. Dolly De Leon is also a treat in her first major role since Triangle of Sadness, showcasing her brilliant comedic timing (surely a meaty lead role can’t be far away?).
This is a wonderfully observed (and often very funny) film about the faith we have in a higher power and each other, and its uncertain conclusion mirrors the apprehension both Ben and Carla have about where they’re going in life. The stylistic flourishes stay on the right side of ‘quirky indie’, and Between the Temples easily hits its darker story beats, anchored by its infinitely charming leads.
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