- Release year: 2024
- Director: Nathan Silver.
- Producers: Tim Headington, Taylor Hess, Nate Kamiya, Adam Kersh and Theresa Steele Page.
- Screenplay by: Nathan Silver and C. Mason Wells.
- Cinematography by: Sean Price Williams.
- Music supervisors: Melissa Chapman and Annie Pearlman.
Synopsis: a grieving man who works as cantor in a Jewish temple has an encounter with an old teacher of his. She wants to do her bat mitzvah, so she enlists his help to do so.
Shotgun Commentary: so endearing, an ode to second chances and pure love.
Review
Between the Temples introduces us to a grieving, borderline-suicidal man named Ben (Jason Schwartzman), and presents us with the story of how he comes to love life again. Ben re-meets Carla (Carol Kane) in a very low moment of his life. She had been her music teacher in school, and now it is time for him to teach her so she can realise her goal: to have a bat mitzvah.
Age gap done well
This feels like a more tasteful, meaningful, endearing version of other films that have come out lately such as May December (2023), The Idea of You (2024) and A Family Affair (2024). However, it leaves behind many disturbing nuances, cheap comedy, surreal fanfic-ish situations, sweaty muscles, and flashy, stylish clothes, in favour of a more realistic approach as to how a true-love match can take place between a man and a woman significantly older than him.
That is not to say that the film has no comedy or style in it. Quite the opposite. The humour featured in the narrative is frightfully clever and charming, pairing incredibly well with the melancholic layer that bathes the whole film.
Mise en scène
As for the style, the best way to describe it would be “Wes Anderson freed from his OCD”. The colour palette is remarkably similar to that of the famous director. Warm, saturated colours dominate the image, as does a cosy vibe in the production design as a whole.
Courtesy of: Edinburgh International Film Festival.
However, there is a chaos that goes against all symmetric patterns of Anderson’s, and therein lies the distinction, a difference that works incredibly well to evoke the main character’s state of mind and confusion as to what to do next.
The soundtrack accompanies Ben in a very similar way as the editing and framing do. The pacing of these areas follow his breathing, the speed of his thinking, and even his emotions, providing the spectator with a somewhat interactive experience as you can encounter the account through a very subjectively distorted point of view. Additionally, the melodies that form the score are mostly upbeat, chirpy, and slightly quirky, thus supporting the comical bits of the footage on their mission of making a somewhat grim tale feel more fun and snug.
Great pairing
Jason Schwartzman is, yet again, in the role of a depressed man with a great sense of humour. At this point in his career, it wouldn’t feel right if that weren’t his mindset. Of course, this also aids in the Anderson connection, since all his roles have been quite similar at their core. In this case, Schwartzman plays Ben, a grieving widower who slowly regains his enthusiasm for life thanks to Carl, his ex-teacher. There is nothing in his performance that you haven’t seen before, then again, why fix it if it’s not broken, no?
As for his partner in crime, Carla, she has got to be one of the most adorable characters of the year. A mix of Professor Trelawney (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, 2004) and Luna Lovegood (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, 2007), she offers a smart, but whimsical personality that is hard to not fall in love with. Her warm spirit and kind heart make you want to protect her from any evil and wish her all the good things in life. Kane’s expressive eyes and amazing talent embody the sympathy and light from those very few individuals one can count oneself lucky to meet at least once in life.
All in all, Between the Temples is a great exploration of grief, hope, faith and love. It doesn’t use nonsensical drama or useless storylines to spice up the story, but rather stays as true as possible to reality and all it has to offer, good and bad. There lies its value and worth as a feature to watch at least once in one’s lifetime.
Thanks to Sony Pictures for the screener access!
Advice to take from this movie:
- Life will surprise you.
- There is always time for a second chance.
- Parents should NEVER meddle in their kids’ lives.
What’s your take? Have you watched Between the Temples? What’s your favourite moment? Did you get any valuable life lesson from it, or at least have a good time?
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