| A big-hearted romance with a mildly eccentric perspective, and a cutely odd disposition A completely unrecognizable Jason Schwartzman plays a troubled Cantor. He has been a faithful and observant Jew for his whole life, but now finds himself in a kind of crisis of faith. The trigger is a woman in her 70s (a delightful Carol Kane) who never had a Bat Mitzvah in her early teens, and wishes to become a student at this unusually late age to have that ceremony 60 years later. It’s a one-year commitment and, as the plot would have it, Schwartzman will be her teacher throughout. What develops is the kind of onscreen adult relationship that cinema has forgotten. When I call this film a “romance”, I am not saying it is a sexual film. It is not. In fact, we don’t know how physical the relationship has gotten, we only know that we are seeing great chemistry between characters and, surely, actors, as well. There are side streets: Schwartzman’s character is mourning the accidental death of his wife, Kane turns out to be (not a spoiler) the music teacher he had in school, etc. Director Nathan Silver gently weaves the tragedy and quiet comedy into a delightful blend of reality. Between the Temples is rated R and is in theaters. 3 out of 4 stars |
