Great Scene: “A Serious Man”

This 2009 movie by Joel and Ethan Coen is not only an homage to their Jewish upbringing, but also to the Old Testament book of Job.

IMDb plot summary: Larry Gopnik, a Midwestern physics teacher, watches his life unravel over multiple sudden incidents. Though seeking meaning and answers amidst his turmoils, he seems to keep sinking.

This is one of the most Coen-esque movies they have made. Comedy crashes up against tragedy over and over and over again. There are so many great scenes including the opening sequence which seems to have nothing to do with the rest of the story other than introducing the film’s focus on Judaism.

Let’s focus on a critical scene in the life of Danny. He is the son of the story’s Protagonist (Larry) and there are two key narrative elements in his subplot:

• He is preparing for his bar mitzvah.
• He is obsessed with his handheld portable radio and his love of rock music from his era (the movie is set in 1967). Taken away by his school teachers, his radio is seemingly lost forever.

This sets up today’s Great Scene. Danny has just survived the bar mitzvah ceremony at the synagogue. He managed to do that in large part by getting stoned beforehand. Then he is summoned to see Rabbi Marshak, the congregation’s aged spiritual leader who Larry tried to see, but was turned down. This is the first time in Marshak’s office. Hence, Danny’s trepidation.

Here is the movie version of the scene:

The movie plays up a few things:

• As Danny makes his way toward Marshak’s desk, we see through Danny’s POV several weird, even creepy items the Rabbi has in his office.
• A smiles rises on Danny’s face as he realizes the Rabbi is naming the members of the Jefferson Airplane, even to the point where when Marshak can’t remember one of their last names, Danny mutters it under his breath. Those visuals transforms the mood from fear to wonder.

The great things in the scene are present in both script and film:

• The disposition of the handheld radio. This is a payoff from when it was taken from Danny.
• The lyrics the Rabbi quotes: When the truth is found to be lies. And all the hope within you dies. This is essentially what Larry experiences, a thematic description of his character’s arc. The words are made more relevant because Marshak actually changes one word. In the original lyrics, the word is “joy.” Marshak says “hope.” Since Larry has a flat out existential crisis by all of the shit that rains down on him (i.e., why do bad things happen to good people), he very definitely veers toward hopelessness.

Of course, the song comes back into play in the movie’s ending scene:

As the tornado bears down on Danny and his classmates, what song is Danny listening to with his radio? Somebody to Love by the Jefferson Airplane.

If you haven’t watched A Serious Man, do it. And if you have, it’s worth another screening. Track Larry’s arc. Pay attention to all the subplots. And reflect on the Old Testament story of Job.

For more articles in the Great Scene series, go here.