After doing the festival circuit last winter, Nathan Silver’s Between the Temples arrives in theatres. And it begins with a synagogue cantor, Ben Gottlieb (Jason Schwartzman) getting a ride after drinking. The person giving that ride is his former teacher, Carla Kessler (Carol Kane), who arrives at the wrong house because he hasn’t changed his address in his driver’s licence. 

Between the Temples is my first live action Jason Schwartzman since Big Eyes (yeah), and it’s still strange to see a guy who I remember young and realise he’s forty-ish now. In his case, with age comes characters who have several crises, including one about his faith. Ben is a widower who loses his voice, but maybe Carla will help him get it back.

Carla, though, is also asking Ben for help, wanting to finally celebrate her bat mitzvah, her story for ‘procrastinating’ being that her communist father didn’t allow her to have one. Their relationship causes conflict with his mothers, Judth and Meira (Dolly de Leon, Caroline Aaron). Which, a man having a Filipino mom and a Jewish mom is just the one two punch that only a sick person (compliment) can conjure up.

Let’s get slightly serious here, though, because there’s something about this film’s portrayal of religion as Judaism, in Between the Temples‘ POV, is a religion that attracts converts. “My heart is in Jerusalem,” Judth says as she speaks during a fundraiser for a Holocaust memorial. Conspicuous coming from her, but she fits into the Jewish community in ways Carla doesn’t.

Between The Temples, thankfully, isn’t just a cinematic, comedic treatise of apolitical Judaism in America. I’ve written a bit about politics and personal spheres recently in other films and this one can balance both. Silver brings the comedy in the latter as Ben dates a rabbi’s daughter Ruth (Madeleine Weinstein). While she gushes about his wife, he calls her ‘alcoholic’ in ways that sound funny.

Interactions between Ben and Ruth are awkward especially because of their connection as family friends. And the film makes it more delightfully awkward when Ben invites Carla to their Shabbat dinner. Silver knows how to build up delightful chaos as Judith cooks half of the food. It’s interesting to hear Judith use the word ‘family’ to exclude Carla from everyone else.

Between The Temples has a polish to it that Silver’s earlier features unfortunately didn’t have and this time, he deals with more moving parts and can juggle them with finesse. He edits that Shabbat dinner like a Bourne film, going from character to character. And again, it all leads to the right amount of chaos where competent comedies thankfully lead.

Watch Between the Temples in select Canadian theatres.