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If the Coen Brothers ever wanted to make a film that would shock the predominantly Jewish population within Hollywood and then spit in their face thereafter, A Serious Man would be the film to do so. Between the constant mockery of the culture and the comedic and ingenious scenarios the Jewish subjects within the film entwine themselves in; The Coen Brothers were making quite a mature and loud statement with this film. Who else would be able to print on celluloid a scene where the bar mitzvah boy is executing his highly religious and important ceremony under the influence of four fatties smoked just before?

A Serious Man begins with what may seem, at first, a confusing and distorting out-of-text prologue. The prologue sets up the whole film with a puzzling and earthy tone. Once the film is established in Minnesota in the mid-1960s, the audience is introduced to Larry Gopnick (Michael Stuhlberg) in the middle of a mid-life crisis. Between his failed relationships with his children, the threat of his wife’s (Sari Lennick) intentions for a divorce and review of his tenure application coming up at his University, Larry seems to be heading into a downwards spiral of absolute misery.

First and foremost, it has to be stated that if Michael Stuhlberg does not receive a considerable amount of recognition which would lead him to, at least, a nomination in the Best Actor category of the Academy Awards this year, the Academy is admitting to being offended by the film. Stuhlberg was bumbling; he was baffling and most of all brilliant in his portrayal of a Jewish man just barely holding on from falling to the edge of insanity. Stuhlberg’s character is a centering catalyst, one which ignites many of the Jewish culture’s unraveling and evolving paths to contemporary American society.

There is no secret that the strongest commentary the Coen Brothers are trying to make on this film is the mockery and understanding of their own bizarre culture. Now, whether or not the Coen Brothers still had family and friends after the screening of this film based within the Hebrew community is beyond me, because the contexts of the Gopnick family is, at times, very stereotypical of Jews and questionable to say the least.

So much credit must be given to the filmmakers who, like many of their previous efforts, made A Serious Man to look and sound almost aesthetically perfect. From the incredible camera angles, to the noticeable picturesque framing choices, to the daunting and creepy score of the film, the Coen Brothers totally redeem themselves from their previous effort Burn After Reading, which felt misguided and uncertain.

Thankfully, unlike Reading it seems the narrative has a strong ability to force audience members to think outside the realms of conforming cinema; this is a film with deep thought, many questions and an opportunity to challenge viewers to divulge themselves into enigmas of metaphorical and symbolic imagery. The film itself is heavy-handed with repeated themes of spirituality, ethics, truth, religion and life/death.

The film itself is rich with an abundance of quirky and insightful guilty pleasures. From the “stoned” camera perspective that the Coen’s perfect, to the fact that the film itself includes an all Jewish cast (with the exception of one Korean character who steals the film’s most comedic moments), it seems as though the film itself is as funny as it is darkly disturbing. The narrative flows in such a distasteful, yet pleasurable way that one does not notice some of the most whacked scenarios. From the introduction of Judith’s lover, Sy Ableman (Fred Melamed), to the hippy neighbor and seductive Mrs. Samsky (Amy Landecker), to Uncle Arthur (Richard Kind) and his insane and questionable antics to finally the importance of each of the three rabbi’s within the film and the influence they have on Larry, A Serious Man is an honest and raw account of the change of one’s family moderate and conservative Jewish lifestyle to modern and evolving American-Jewish home.

There is no doubt that A Serious Man is one of the best – if not the best – films to come out this year. Its minimalistic dialogue throughout the film, perfect casting and heavy imagery entices moviegoers to submerge themselves into a world of Coen bliss and a trance of ‘cinematic-euphoria’. It’s a subliminal yet powerfully direct cautionary tale of the realities of reality and the daunting choices people must face every day of their lives. Like many of the scenes within the film, it’s a rare movie which juxtaposes on screen many of the juxtapositions people face in life.  A Serious Man is a serious effort made by a seriously good group of filmmakers who seriously deserve some credit.