There are few films that are quite like Between the Temples. Now in theaters, it’s a sparkling and distinctly Jewish comedy.
Written and directed by Nathan Silver, the film follows Ben (Jason Schwartzman), a depressed cantor who finds himself unable to do just about anything after his wife’s passing. There’s a looming hopelessness as he moves back in with his moms (played by Dolly De Leon and Caroline Aaron) and barely goes outside. And when he does, he usually pisses people off, like when he ends up getting hit in the face at a bar. But when he meets Carla (Carol Kane), everything changes.
Carla wants to achieve a lifelong dream of hers and finally have a Bat Mitzvah, a traditional Jewish coming-of-age ceremony. She’s Ben’s childhood music teacher, and while he initially refuses, he agrees to help her, and the two form an unlikely friendship that blossoms into something far more serious. “I think the character of Carla gives him something,” Schwartzman said of Ben. “What makes their relationship so special is that it’s these two characters who don’t need permission, but give each other permission to live.”
