I'm Sure I Have No Idea: A Serious Man Review

The best thing, I think, about A Serious Man is that it is not about one thing in particular; and it will be a mistake to call it entirely about “uncertainty,” rather, on the contrary, I would like to think that it is precisely about the certainty of uncertainty. I think it is a modern retelling of the Book of Job, but, importantly, with God as a failure, with God as the Savior who failed to appear at His cue. The ending is poignant, because it is, actually, a precise thematic ending: We cannot know.

The loose ends abound, and even if answers can be inferred, we can be sure that we cannot be sure. It is just as Larry begins with the mention of the Schrödinger’s Cat thought experiment, and then, later, with the Uncertainty Principle; the fable at the beginning, where we do not know if the visitor truly was a dybbuk; the ambiguity of the actions of Arthur.

No matter how much you take the universe seriously—with mathematics, with religion, with values, with law, with dentistry, all exhibited in the film in an attempt by Larry to contain the absurdity of his misfortunes—it will always have a cruel sense of humor. When Larry’s son finally confronts the enigmatic rabbi, what great Truth is revealed? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

One of the best films I’ve seen in a long time, and certainly one of the most truthful.

A ten out of ten.