Between the Temples

2024

Action / Comedy

8
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 42% · 120 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Spilled 42% · 100 ratings
IMDb Rating 6.2/10 10 3445 3.4K

new york city midlife crisis widow cemetery music teacher grief

Plot summary

A grief-stricken cantor in a crisis of faith finds his world turned upside down when his grade school music teacher re-enters his life as his new adult Bat Mitzvah student. The two forlorn souls develop a special connection.

Director

Nathan Silver Photo
Nathan Silver

Top cast

Jason Schwartzman Photo
Jason Schwartzman as Ben Gottlieb
Stephen Lack Photo
Stephen Lack as Mildred's Owner
Matthew Shear Photo
Matthew Shear as Nat
Dolly De Leon Photo
Dolly De Leon as Judith Gottlieb
720p.WEB 1080p.WEB 1080p.WEB
1 GB
1280*720
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us   es   fi   fr   nl   pl   pt   sv  
23.976 fps
1 hr 51 min
Seeds 3
2.06 GB
1920*1080
English 5.1
NR
Subtitles us   es   fi   fr   nl   pl   pt   sv  
23.976 fps
1 hr 51 min
Seeds 10
1.86 GB
1920*1080
English 5.1
NR
Subtitles us   es   fi   fr   nl   pl   pt   sv  
23.976 fps
1 hr 51 min
Seeds 7

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by mark-67214-52993 5 / 10

Sweet Story Meets "Harold and Maude"

Nathan Silver's "Between the Temples" is widely acclaimed by critics. Your experience may vary. Mine did.Following the accidental death of his wife, Ben (Jason Schwartzman - "Asteroid City" and other Wes Anderson projects) is bereft. Although he works as the cantor for a local synagogue, he is unable to sing. After his latest failed attempt during services, Ben rushes out of the synagogue. He lies down in the middle of the road to end it all but instead gets a lift from the truck driver to a nearby bar. He gets drunk. In a related matter, he gets punched in the face. In the process, he becomes reacquainted with his childhood music teacher, Carla (a fantastic Carol Kane). Eventually, Ben begins to tutor the 70ish Carla for the bat mitzvah denied her by her Russian Communist parents.Silver uses this story, which begins with tremendous potential, to explore the themes of many of his previous films, particularly the paralyzing consequences of anxiety and fear and why people fall in love or even put up with each other. At the same time, he offers a gentle critique of Jewish culture that features an explosive Shabbat dinner, mothers (Ben has two) fixated on immediately finding him a nice Jewish girl and a rabbi who's willing to negotiate and haggle about everything. Robert Smigel as the rabbi and Madeline Weinstein as Gabby, the rabbi's daughter and very available Jewish girl, offer strong performances.The oddball relationship between Ben and Carla is mesmerizing. It's sweet, kind, confusing, funny, quirky and completely charming. Schwartzman and Kane's performances are well worth the price of admission.What sunk this film - and it's a sinking of Titanic proportions in my view - is the muddled tone. On the one hand, there's a pervasive sweetness and a kindness in the face of everyone's frailties that's quite endearing. This sweetness encourages, even compels, the moviegoer to really invest in what's happening with these characters. So it's jarring to have slapstick scenes injected into the story along with diversions into broad, bawdy, absurdist comedy that shove us away from the feelings being so carefully nurtured. At times, I felt manipulated by these jolting shifts in tone and perspective. For me, this tonal inconsistency was a deal-breaker. Even the title of this film can't seem to make up its mind. Is the film to be an assessment of Jewish culture? Is it to be a treatise on behavioral neuropsychology? Or is it just trying to be too clever for its own good?"Between the Temples" is a step forward from Silver's very low-budget previous films, many of which starred his mother. It's thoughtful, sometimes insightful and occasionally hilarious. Unfortunately, it's a film that never decides whether it wants to be sweet and earnest or "Harold and Maude." I left the theater feeling confused by an unfocused story (and an incomprehensible conclusion) that felt more lazy than layered.
Reviewed by dtswpod 5 / 10

Retro Filmmaking Done Well

The first thing, and really only thing, one should know about this film before they see it is it's a straight up homage to 70s film making. This means there are certain camera choices and character behaviors that won't bother you in the least if you are into that era of movie making. However, if you are not familiar the genre or out right hate it, this is not the film for you.The last film I saw do this retro style was the 2023 Paul Giamatti movie, The Holdovers. If you enjoyed that movie, you likely will enjoy this. Or least you shouldn't hate it.Between the Temples tells the story of a Cantor who clearly needs a psychologist but who everyone else seems to think just needs to get laid. One day, he meets his former music teacher who wants to get back to her Jewish roots and get a bat mitzvah. What's a bat mitzvah? Think of it as a coming of age party. But honestly, you do not need to know a thing about Judaism to get what's happening here. Since the films only true religion is cringe. There are scenes right from the top to almost the end that are absolute flinch inducing. All realistic but embarrassing as hell.This is a small heart felt little movie that should be enjoyed by those in the right mindset.
Reviewed by eric12808-527-585297 5 / 10

Disjointed

Between the Temples in s an exercise in " randomness" without much thought as to how the scenes fit together.Really? Is this the best the editing could do?Even the writing is very uneven, as though more than one writer threw out different ideas and then clipped them together.Some of the scenes were not consistent with the character's personality but it seems as though the anything goes!I really wanted to like this movie but it did not pick up traction and I was surprised at how little humor there was.I'm not sure how long it took to make this film but it was disappointing!So disappointing!Carol King was terrific !
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