By: Trevor Chartrand

The notoriously quirky Jason Schwartzman (The Overnight) stars in Between the Temples as – brace yourself – an odd-ball character.  Shocking, right?  In all seriousness though, Nathan Silver’s offbeat film does ultimately prove to be a relatively serviceable, if tired, indie-style dramedy.  To the movie’s credit, Silver explores an otherwise formulaic narrative with a character-focused vulnerability that truly enhances the material.

Schwartzman plays Ben Gottlieb, a Temple cantor whose crisis of faith is personified by his sudden inability to sing properly.  Depressed and burnt out, Ben’s misadventures in a bar reunite him with his third grade teacher, Carla Kessler (iMordecai’s Carol Kane).  As the two reminisce, Carla reveals her resolute desire to celebrate her Bat Mitzvah, having been denied her ceremony when she was younger.  Ben reluctantly agrees to teach her to sing for the event, and the two find an unexpected kinship with each other.

Between the Temples is carried by its cast and their chemistry, which is thankfully effective.  Kane and Schwartzman play expertly off of each other.  While the performances are quirky, the cast all manage to keep things grounded enough to avoid reaching over-exaggerated levels.  The show of restraint, in this case, is a welcomed surprise.

To complement this, the film is presented in a strikingly intimate fashion.  Essentially, the visual choices made here demonstrate a mature approach to the material.  A movie like this will often take a broader approach, punching up the comedy.  Instead however, Between the Temples imitates a vérité shooting style that helps establish a real sense of closeness between the characters and their audience.

Ultimately, the plot of the film isn’t exactly innovative. But, what Between the Temples lacks in narrative depth, the movie makes up for with its captivating characterizations and interesting visual style. Though relatively straightforward film, the maturity of Nathan Silver’s filmmaking elevates the distinctiveness of this otherwise decent indie.

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Trevor Chartrand: @OhHaiTrebor