Films › Ethan Coen

A Serious Man (2009)

Film

DirectorEthan Coen

Meta takes3

Figures

Objects & symbols

The recurring use of wide-angle and fisheye lenses

Locations

The portrayal of the suburban neighborhood and its inhabitants → The Uncanny

Form & technique

Narrative structure and thematic parallels to the Book of Job

Tropes

The Schrödinger's Cat parable in Larry's physics lecture
Larry Gopnik's social and cultural positioning in 1960s suburbia
Larry Gopnik's repeated attempts to be a "serious man"
The use of Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody to Love" → Anempathetic Sound
The opening Yiddish folktale about the potential dybbuk
The character contrast between Larry Gopnik and Sy Ableman → The Fragile Alpha

Films most connected to A Serious Man

An American Werewolf in London (?) — via The Uncanny, Anempathetic Sound
Moon (2009) — via The Uncanny, Anempathetic Sound
The Shining (1980) — via The Uncanny, The Fragile Alpha
Double Lover (2017) — via The Uncanny, The Fragile Alpha
Office Space (1999) — via The Uncanny, The Fragile Alpha
The Power of the Dog (2021) — via The Uncanny, The Fragile Alpha
Brokeback Mountain (2005) — via The Fragile Alpha, Anempathetic Sound
The Master (2012) — via The Fragile Alpha, Anempathetic Sound