Between The Temples – Review

Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 51 minutes, Director – Nathan Silver

A grieving cantor (Jason Schwartzman) develops a friendship with his childhood music teacher (Carol Kane) when she comes to him for adult bat mitzvah lessons.

Jason Schwartzman’s cantor Ben has been unable to sing for almost a year. He sits to the right of the platform mouthing the words while Rabbi Bruce (Robert Smigel) leads and sings the prayers. When attempting to sing the notes turn into a series of spluttering coughs, all having started after the loss of his wife just over a year before. Ben may not outwardly speak about his feelings, but he physically holds them with the weight that is clearly on his shoulders. This is a different depiction of grief from Schwartzman to the highly internalised turn seen in Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City just last year, yet one which still holds plenty of restraint and subtlety.

The early stages of Between The Temples pitch a frequent cringe-comedy, the opening scene sees Ben meeting a young woman brought around by his mothers (Caroline Aaron and Dolly De Leon – both of whom bring about plenty of chuckles in each of their scenes). The awkwardness of the introduction is thick in the air as the mention of a doctor makes Ben think that this may be a trial with a psychiatrist. However, what follows is a much more subdued dramedy that puts the former of the genres to the fore the more the run-time progresses.

After drowning his sorrows in mudslides one evening in a distant bar Ben is taken home by his childhood music teacher, Carla (Carol Kane). Not long after she turns up at his temple while he’s teaching a group of young people ahead of their bar and bat mitvahs, wishing to have her own later-life bat mitzvah, with her one-on-one adult lessons taught by Ben. The basis of the relationship is initially uncertain, particularly with Ben’s reluctance towards the lessons, however as a friendship and understanding blossoms between the pair there’s an interesting dynamic formed. As grief and identity come into play – Carla wants to reconnect with her Jewish roots before she married her late husband – the film gently shows Ben stepping back into the world without as much of an invisible shield around him, at least when it comes to his relationships.

This particularly shown in his interactions with Rabbi Bruce’s recently-single daughter Gabby (Madeline Weinstein) – who bears a resemblance to Ben’s wife. Weinstein herself captures a shared awkwardness with Schwartzman when it comes to conversations with other people at events, particularly those hosted by De Leon’s character at the temple. There’s a clear contrast between the tone and nature of their relationship between the budding teacher-student friendship with Carla.

Where these strands are eventually taken may not sit well with everyone as they divert from the directions which appear to be set out and growing throughout – certainly a climactic Shabbat dinner brings in key points which don’t entirely feel justified or built up to by the rest of the film. Perhaps also down to the slow-burn style of the narrative, which can occasionally bring in the feeling that things are slightly overlong or simply just slow, we spend so long with certain ideas that a sudden switch comes as something of a surprise, especially late in the day.

However, perhaps the largest consequence is that the central relationships in Ben’s life are bookended with uncertainty as to where they stand, and more for the viewer rather than for him – still trying to work his way through grief and find a sense of grounding amongst his mind and emotions. There are likable beats throughout, particularly when it comes to the scatterings of more cringe-based comedy, which aren’t as frequent as the opening scene might suggest, and as a whole the gentle, slow-burn nature of the film works. However, what really carries it through is the weight of Schwartzman’s performance and just how his character carries himself through the changing situations he faces, and at times creates – even if not always having the effect the film might hope for.

While the relationships we see Jason Schwartzman’s wonderfully performed lead character form may be bookended with degrees of uncertainty for the viewer, there are still elements to like in-between thanks to the quiet, if gradual, course of Between The Temples, and its occasional humour.