I was shocked to learn that Nathan Silver’s Between the Temples (2024) is the director’s ninth feature film, as Temples has the scrappy energy of a debut.

Silver’s filmography runs the gamut, from pregnant teens in Uncertain Terms (2014) to deception and intrigue in Thirst Street (2017). Yet he still finds himself on the fringes of breaking into the mainstream. After 15 years of working in independent spaces, he seems to be breaking out of his shell with the Jason Schwartzman-led Between the Temples – his biggest project to date.

At Temple’s best, Silver combines a biting wit with a charming sentimentality that shines when diving into the psyche of its main character. At its worst, the frantic style clashes with the somber tone Silver employs in conveying the many threads clawing to the surface for screen time. The end result, specifically its climax, is a well-intentioned but bumbling character study that zigzags too often to latch onto its core emotions.

Between the Temples centers around Ben Gottlieb (Schwartzman), who’s in the throes of a mid-life crisis: grief-stricken over the loss of his wife, emasculated after losing his home, moving back in with his mother (Caroline Aaron) and stepmom (Dolly de Leon), and in the crosshairs of losing touch with his devout Judaism. Additionally, he works as a cantor at a synagogue, but he can hardly participate due to a combination of nerves and an inability to sing.

All hope seems lost until he reconnects with his old music teacher, Carla O’Connor (Carol Kane). Coming to grips with the loss of her husband — as well as a distant relationship with her son — Carla gives Ben a ride home after a bar fight leaves him incapacitated. A few days later, Carla drops by Ben’s bar mitzvah courses and demands he take her on as a prospect despite not being Jewish.

Much to Ben’s chagrin, he’s forced to accept her for the year-long process. As the pair get further into their lessons, they let down their defenses and quickly form a friendship. As the details of Ben’s past come into focus while their friendship blossoms, Ben’s other relationships become muddled for various, complicated reasons, which is the crux of why Between the Temples doesn’t work.

Most of Temple’s story-centric building blocks make a strong impression out of the gate. Schwartzman is an amiable actor, and he does a great job of bringing Silver’s vision (along with co-writer C. Mason Wells) to life. Kane brings an exuberant life of her own when characterizing Carla, a wistful, scattered, no-nonsense foil to Ben’s stubborn exterior.

In a particularly effective scene after Carla joins Ben for private bat mitzvah training, Carla challenges Ben to repeat a heart-wrenching story she shares about her 13th birthday back to her to prove he was listening. Although Ben struggles, he succeeds in reiterating her words. It’s here where we begin to see the pair connect with a determined conviction.

The same effectiveness can be said for the majority of the ensemble. Whether it’s time-tested character actors or fresh faces, the film’s cast brings the threads to life. Caroline Aaron is great as Ben’s neurotic mother with all the expected rhythms she’s known for, and Robert Smigel brings a welcome, wry wit to Rabbi Bruce.

The problem is that, while the many threads of Gottlieb’s life are interestingly set up, they often clash when explored and cross-pollinated in the film’s second half. By attempting to give equal balance to all its threads, the film loses focus and never truly recovers.

The loss of focus is hard to pinpoint, but where it’s most prominent is Ben’s newly blossoming romance with Rabbi Bruce’s daughter Gabby (Madeline Weinstein). The pair are romantically involved, much to Ben’s hesitation, and after borrowing his late wife’s book, Gabby finds herself even more enthralled by Ben in a scene that doesn’t drive the film in a beneficial direction. The same can be said for Ben’s stepmother’s insistence that the two end up together, all culminating in a climax that tries to combine all of these threads in a Cassavetes-style bombshell of yelling and frustration that dive bombs whatever goodwill the film had going for it.

As much as Between the Temples starts with promise, the middle and finale lose their way to the point of tedium and disappointment. At times a sincere moment breaks through, the performances are fiercely portrayed, and Silver conveys great ideas. Unfortunately, not enough comes to fruition to the point where the entire experience is fully recommended.

Review Courtesy of Landon Defever

Feature Image Credit to Sony Classics via IMDB