Nathan Silver’s Between the Temples is among the most formally adventurous films ever made about a late-in-life Bat Mitzvah––scripted with more narrative and structural surprise than its basic bedrock would ever suggest, shot (by Sean Price Williams) and edited (courtesy John Magary) with jaggedness to match. It’s also a film you can take your parents to, and one that gives ample room for Jason Schwartzman and Carol Kane to build an unusual onscreen rapport. Talk about the best of both worlds! Ahead of its August 23 release from Sony Pictures Classics, there’s a first preview and poster.
As Jordan Raup said in our review, “In a state of arrested development after his wife unexpectedly died from a freak accident, Ben Gottlieb (Jason Schwartzman) is suicidal, pleading to a truck to just run him over and begging that he be fired from his job as cantor at the local Jewish temple in upstate New York. While this set-up may not scream comedy, Between the Temples is in fact hilarious, packed with endless jokes and adoration for physical gags while we witness Ben find new meaning in life through an unexpected acquaintance. Above all, Nathan Silver’s feature, from a script he co-wrote with C. Mason Wells,is a thrillingly alive, nimble piece of filmmaking: shot on 16mm by Sean Price Williams with faces of its ensemble guiding every movement, and edited by John Magary with a frenetic yet defined rhythm, Between the Temples is a witty, biting portrait of finding one’s footing in both faith and friendship.”
Find preview and poster below:
