From Teacher to Student: A B'Nai Mitzvah Comedy

"You're Jewish, right?" a woman asks. "How could you tell?" the young man answers, his kippah KippahכִּפָּהA head-covering often worn during worship and while in a sanctuary, although some people choose to wear a kippah all the time; plural: kippot. In Orthodox communities, only men and boys wear kippot, while in liberal Jewish communities some women and girls choose to wear kippot.  Also called a yarmulke (Yiddish) or skullcap.   slightly askew. This is how the audience is introduced to Carla (Carol Kane) and Ben (Jason Schwartzman) as she helps him off the floor of a dingy bar on a fateful Shabbat evening. It turns out that Carla used to be Ben's music teacher, inspiring him to pursue a singing career. Carla gives Ben a ride home using the address on his driver's license. It's only after seeing the smiling picture on his license that Carla recognizes Ben. He's grown so morose that he's unrecognizable to her.

"Between the Temples," a new film directed by Nathan Silver, is a coming-of-age tale that shows people in any stage of life can rediscover innocence and wonder. After their chance encounter, Carla seeks out Ben and asks him to take her on as a bat mitzvahbat mitzvahבַּת מִצְוָהCeremony marking a girl's reaching the age of religious maturity; plural: b'nei mitzvah. student. Ben is reluctant at first, but eventually begins giving her lessons. They grow fond of each other as she helps him rediscover his voice and he helps her delve deeper into Judaism. The bond they forge is part friendship, part parental, and tender (perhaps to an uncomfortable degree). 

Judaism is front and center in this film. Ben's religious life is displayed in almost every scene, and his Jewish community includes people from many different backgrounds. Meira (Caroline Aaron) and Judith (Dolly de Leon) are Ben's mom and stepmom, respectively, each trying to nudge Ben onto the dating scene in their own ways. Judith is Filipina and a Jew-by-choice. Ben keeps kosher, as we discover in a hilarious scene where his burger tastes so good because cheese has been injected into the patty. While Ben's affiliation is never outright stated, it is safe to assume that his values are progressive.

Silver has stated that he grew up in a non-religious, culturally Jewish home and was the only Jewish person at his school. That outsider mentality infuses his work and leads him to take a slightly off-kilter approach. In "Between the Temples,"Silver casts Ben's progressive Jewish community as the "establishment" force. Rabbi Bruce (Robert Smigel), Ben's boss, comes across as borderline smug, a prosaic run-of-the-mill religious figurehead. When the rabbi's daughter, Gabby (Madeline Weinstein), moves to town and begins to flirt with Ben, everyone- Ben's mothers, the rabbi, and even the audience-is meant to believe that the romance is bashert, predestined.

The film doesn't necessarily deliver a neat narrative arc, partially due to Silver's process. Silver's filmmaking is actor-centered, with the cast helping develop their characters' backstories. Scenes are crafted through rehearsals, with the final script coming in just days before shooting at times. The results are immersive performances and spontaneous, naturalistic dialogue. Silver doubles down on this approach in "Between the Temples" by giving the film a distinctly 70s aesthetic with whip-pans, zooms and close-ups.

Both Schwartzman and Kane shine in this movie. As Carla, Kane veers between angelic, crass, and sweetly understanding. Kane's Carla sees Ben as the bright, happy little boy of yesteryear and challenges him to rediscover that part of himself.

Schwartzman has made a career of playing the innocent, armored in cynicism - the embittered boy-child. It's amazing to see him continue to inhabit this character as he ages. When the joyful, softhearted Ben emerges from clouds of indifference, we see the range that Schwartzman is capable of.

Silver has said that his two main influences for this film were his own mother, who shares some biographical quirks with Carla, and the film "Harold and Maude."I would compare it to another film of that era: "The Graduate." No one's swinging any crosses here, but there's undoubtedly rebellion. An exchange between Carla and Ben epitomizes the film:Carla asks, "If I'm so funny, why don't you laugh at my jokes?" Ben replies, "You're a different kind of funny." "Between the Temples " is a different kind of funny, which is exactly why it needs to be seen.

In theaters August 23rd.