How do we renew our faith when it seems lost? How do we praise a G✡d who feels too far away? What if songs of faith are the foundation of our life and career? Writer/Director Nathan Silver explores these perplexing questions in Between the Temples, a preview of which came to the Mariemont Theatre through the Cincinnati Jewish & Israeli Film Festival.
Ben Gottlieb (Jason Schwartzman) is the cantor at Temple Sinai in a small town in upstate New York. Only he can’t sing anymore. The words of Yedid Nefesh (Lover of my soul) get stuck in his throat, prompting a coughing fit. During Friday evening services, Gottlieb bolts from the shul and lands in a bar on karaoke night, kicking back an avalanche of mudslides.
Enter Carla, (Carol Kane) Ben’s music teacher from middle school. Now retired and widowed, Carla wants to finally have her bat mitzvah. Why didn’t she have it when she was twelve? Carla was a red-diaper baby, the offspring of card-carrying Communist Party members, which was awfully problematic in the 1960s. Little by little, the interactions between student and teacher, with the roles not entirely clear, help Ben regain his cantorial mojo.
Ben’s crisis comes from losing his wife at a tragically young age. It’s been just over a year, and his mother (Caroline Aaron) has taken it upon herself to set him up on Jdates without telling him. Yes, she’s overstepping her boundaries, but I get it. Our loved ones want to see us happy again, whether we’re ready for happiness or not.
Enter Gabby (Madeline Weinstein), the rabbi’s daughter, who has returned from the Big Apple with a sack full of broken dreams. Both sweet and seductive, this nice Jewish girl certainly knows her way around.
Jason Schwartzman fully inhabits Ben Gottlieb, the nebbishy everyman who feels relatable to anyone who has fallen into despair. Also noteworthy is Dolly de Leon, who plays Judith, the doting step-mom and life partner of Ben’s mother. Born in the Philippines, Judith is the kind of dedicated Jew-by-choice who manages to out-Jew those of us who take it for granted.
But the one who just makes the movie is Carol Kane, whom I have adored since her days on Taxi and The Princess Bride. Having no time for nonsense, Carla speaks her mind with great frankness but doesn’t tell the whole story. A great comedian, Carol Kane imbues Carla with a humor born of pathos that both tickles and touches our souls. In all, Between the Temples is the kind of low-budget indie film that gives us a break from Hollywood and brings us back to old-fashioned storytelling.
Between the Temples is now playing in select theaters.
