Between the Temples (2024)

Two movies this year focus on a depressed Jewish boy names Ben. This is the funnier one. Sorry, Kieran Culkin (you'll still get the oscar). Jason Schwartzman nails it as our kosher cantor Ben,  who's been recently widowed, lives with his moms, and not is looking to mingle. Despite being paid to sing for a living at the Jewish synagogue his mom's are contributors too, he is currently unable to sing. And after failing to perform at service he tries to kill himself by laying in front of an 18-wheeler. The driver stops and proceeds to give him a lift to the local bar instead. Ben downs mudslides, get's punched in the face, and ends up re-kindling a relationship with his grade school music teacher Ms. Carla. Carol Kane's heartwarming and quirky performance as Carla, who was widowed years ago, makes this one of the best movies of the year. There's a comforting authenticity shared between Carla and Ben, which contrasts the manic and often anxious presentation of this film. I have not seen previous Nathan Silver film's so I'm unsure of his style, but the editing here reminded me of ​the Safdie brothers. Quick cuts, lots of overlapping dialogue, foreign sounds - there's been a lot of incredibly anxious family dinner scenes in recent memory. I'm thinking FX's The Bear to be specific. Silver adds another one to that fun list in one of Between the Temples best scenes. This film is witty, charming, surprisingly intense, and even sexy when it wants to be. I'm looking forward to re-watching this already. One of this years best.

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