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A Serious Man commences with an uncomplicated aphorism attributed to medieval French rabbi and Talmudic scholar Rashi; Receive with simplicity everything that happens to you. Perhaps this is the advice to which Larry Gopnik should subscribe.

From there the audience is briefly whisked away to a snow covered “shtetl” in Poland where a man and his wife discuss, in Yiddish, the arrival of a visitor who may or may not be a “dybbuk.”  Although the word dybbuk is commonly thought of as a ghost-like soul that struck fear in the hearts of shtetl-dwellers, it actually has a deeper meaning that specifically relates to the main character of the film (see glossary below). As the beginning chapter of this story, this simple, but quizzical fable is eerily foreboding.

Fast forward to year 1967, when we witnessed the first Super Bowl, the maiden flight of a Boeing 737 and The Beatles released their iconic album Sgt. Pepper. Larry Gopnik (the angst-ridden Michael Stuhlbarg) is living an ordinary life in an unnamed Midwestern suburb. By all measure, he seems to have it all; he’s a loving husband, caring father and a respected physics professor at a local university. When confronted with temptation, he chooses the right path. Intrinsically, Larry is a good man – the very definition of “mensche”.

His world begins to unravel when his wife Judith, (Sari Lennick) announces her plans to divorce him turning her affections to Larry’s officious colleague. His pot-smoking son Danny (Aaron Wolff) is in trouble at Hebrew school and his daughter Sarah (Jessica McManus) is stealing money to finance a nose-job. Oy! As if this wasn’t enough to send anyone into a tailspin, his unstable brother Arthur (the always entertaining Richard Kind) is jobless and sleeping on the living room couch. Even his career is on the ropes – anonymous letters disparaging his teaching ability jeopardize his tenure coupled with a bribe in exchange for a passing grade. Oy gevalt! What’s a nice Jewish guy to do? Larry seeks resolution in the wisdom of three local rabbi’s.

A Serious Man was directed, produced and written by brothers Ethan and Joel Coen – the talented duo who won Oscars for best picture and director for 2007’s No Country for Old Men. If you’re a Coen brothers fan (as I am), you’ve taken the twisty road from the very dark No Country for Old Men to the light comedic satire Burn after Reading. And let’s not forget the detours to The Big Lebowski, Fargo and Raising Arizona. A Serious Man lies somewhere between Fargo on the comedy scale but perhaps closer to Barton Fink on grimness.

Although the film takes a few moments to digest, the predominantly Jewish baby-boomer audience seemed to enjoy the humor but cringe at the storyline. I question whether a non-Jewish audience could appreciate the spiritual aspects or Gen X’ers, the date-specific humor. Only the 50 year olds laughed when the senior rabbi rattled off the names of the Jefferson Airplane members.

Like the biblical figure Job, Larry Gopnik endures all his misfortune without reproaching God. As the calamities escalate, so does the humor, mitigating the overall complexion of the film. I would recommend seeing the film with a few friends and then go “ess a bissel” because you’ll want to discuss the first five minutes that take place in the “shtetl”. Who were those folks - Gopnik ancestors? Have the Gopnik’s been cursed? Are they inhabited by a “dybbuk?” Or as Mike Myers would say, “Talk amongst yourselves”.

For those who need a little more explanation of some of the terms used in the film (or review), I’ve included a glossary below.*

Bupkes - nothing; e.g., “And what do I have? Bupkes!”

Dybbuk (pronounced “dibbuck”) - the soul of a dead person, often looking to possess a live person and as such inspiring fear among the living. Dybbuks are said to have escaped from Gehenna (a Hebrew term loosely analogous to the concept of hell) or to have been turned away from Gehenna for serious transgressions. The word “dybbuk” is derived from the Hebrew דיבוק, meaning “attachment”; the dybbuk attaches itself to the body of a living person and inhabits the flesh. According to belief, a soul that has been unable to fulfill its function during its lifetime is given another opportunity to do so in dybbuk form. It supposedly leaves the host body once it has accomplished its goal, sometimes after being helped.**

Ess a Bissel – Yiddish for “Eat a little” or “Have a nosh.”

Gett - a religiously sanctioned divorce

Goy - colloquial term for a person not of the Jewish faith (goyim – plural)

Haftorah – a selection of the Hebrew Bible read aloud in synagogue services on Shabbat

Hashem - Hebrew term/name used for God

Macher (pronounced “mohhcc-er”) - a person of importance/influence, e.g., “He’s a very big Macher in the community!”

Mensch - someone with strength of character and does the right thing

Mitzvah - good deed or blessing, mostly used in an everyday and non-religious context, e.g. “You performed a mitzvah when you picked up your neighbors groceries while she was sick.”

Nu? - What’s up? What’s the story here?

Oy gevalt - Yiddish exclamation to express dismay or grief, sometimes shortened to just “Oy”

Shabbas (or, shabbos, Shabbat) - Judaism’s Sabbath, from Friday evening through Saturday evening.

Shtetl (pronounced “shtet-el”) - a small Jewish village, in bygone times, in Eastern Europe

Shiva - the seven-day mourning period for the recently deceased; e.g., “We are sitting shiva for my aunt, who passed away earlier this week.”

Torah - the first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures, transcribed onto a scroll for use in synagogue services including a bar mitzvah.

*The definitions were supplied with the press notes, but I’ve added some commentary when necessary.
**Wikipedia

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