History Film / ASeriousMan

%%* KafkaKomedy

** The Tale of the Goy's Teeth, which has no resolution. When pressed for a resolution, the teller casually dismisses it.

''A Serious Man'' is a 2009 BlackComedy/drama film conceived by Creator/TheCoenBrothers, depicting [[HumiliationConga a few crazy days]] in the life of a midwestern physics professor, Larry Gopnik.

* OurZombiesAreDifferent: The opening scene is framed as a Jewish/Yiddish parable in which a married couple host an old man who is actually meant to be a dybbuk in disguise. In Jewish mythology, a dybbuk is a malicious spirit stemming from the disembodied soul of a dead person; something of a cross between a zombie and a demonic possession. The dybbuk we are shown doesn’t physically appear supernatural in the least (he even bleeds after he is stabbed). The only noteworthy supernatural trait present is that he appears to be impervious to physical attacks, shrugging off a stab to the chest as if nothing happened.

''A Serious Man'' is a 2009 film conceived by Creator/TheCoenBrothers, depicting [[HumiliationConga a few crazy days]] in the life of a midwestern physics professor, Larry Gopnik.

%%* BlackComedy

Larry's wife Judith astounds him with her announcement she intends to divorce him in favor of the more distinguished widower Sy Ableman; son Danny, whose Bar Mizvah approaches, smokes weed while he pretends to study; whiny daughter Sarah sneaks money from his wallet to save up for a nose job so she can look less Jewish. At the college, his student Clive Park attempts to bribe him for a passing grade -- [[{{Blackmail}} and Mr. Park threatens to sue him for defamation should he go public]]. He is [[ExiledToTheCouch kicked out of his own house]] and forced to live in a crummy motel with his sickly and eccentric brother Arthur. Oh, and someone's been writing anonymous letters to his university warning them not to grant Larry tenure. Can things get any worse?

* AsianAndNerdy: Clive, aiming for a scholarship, failed his physics exam because he ''didn't know it would have math'' and his father prefers to offer bribes to his teachers rather than to get his son to study harder.

* DisproportionateRetribution: If you interpret the ending events as punishment, then [[spoiler:Larry is stricken with a fatal illness for raising a student's grade, and Danny is going to be run down by a tornado for listening to music in class]].

''A Serious Man'' is a 2009 film conceived by Creator/TheCoenBrothers, depicting [[HumiliationConga a few crazy days]] in the life of a midwestern physics professor, Larry Gopnik. InfoDump a-go-go:

%%* ButtMonkey: Larry.

%%* ShaggyDogStory:
%%** The Tale of the Goy's Teeth. The teller doesn't seem to realize that it's an example.
%%** Arguably, [[spoiler:the whole movie, if not ShootTheShaggyDog]].

* AdultFear: More like an encyclopedia of Adult Fears.

* AsianAndNerdy[=/=][[EducationMama Education Papa]]: Both these Asian stereotypes are subverted; Clive, aiming for a scholarship, failed his physics exam because he ''didn't know it would have math'' and his father prefers to offer bribes to his teachers rather than to get his son to study harder.

* BigWhat: Larry, three times in a row, upon learning that [[spoiler: Sy Ableman has died in a car crash]].

* BitchInSheepsClothing: Although he is almost absurdly courteous to Larry's face, it is heavily implied that Sy Ableman [[spoiler: was the one writing the anonymous and defamatory letters to the tenure board about Larry]]
* BlackComedy[=/=]KafkaKomedy

* [[spoiler: BolivianArmyEnding]]

* ButtMonkey: Larry.

* CloudCuckoolander: Arthur

* DeusAngstMachina: Larry is a modern-day Job; the misfortunes just keep piling up.

* FemmeFatale: Mrs. Samsky [[spoiler: seems to be one ... but really isn't.]]

* GainaxEnding[=/=]NoEnding: [[spoiler: Larry accepts the bribe and is immediately called by his doctor to discuss some findings during an examination. Meanwhile, a tornado has touched down outside Danny's school]]. The film ends before we find out what happens next to them. Good luck determining what it means.

* KafkaKomedy

* MortonsFork: A student who has failed his exam leaves an envelope of money in Larry's office, as a bribe to get a passing grade. When Larry discusses the matter with the student's father, he realises that he has three equally unpleasant options that fit in well with the previously explained theme of UsefulNotes/SchrodingersCat.
** Accept the bribe.
** Give the money back to the student, in which case the father will sue Larry for slander (for accusing the student and his family of bribery).
** Keep the money and fail the student anyway, in which case the father will report him for theft.

* NeverTrustATrailer:
** Averted. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iggyFPls4w The trailer is an incredible work of art in its own right.]]
** TrailersAlwaysSpoil: However, it does spoil that [[spoiler:Larry never gets to meet the old rabbi.]]

* RomanticFalseLead: Sy.
* RuleOfThree: [[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1019452/board/nest/168165555?p=1#168170037 Examined here.]]

* ShaggyDogStory:
** The Tale of the Goy's Teeth. The teller doesn't seem to realize that it's an example.
** Arguably, [[spoiler:the whole movie, if not ShootTheShaggyDog]].
* ShoutOut: To Literature/TheBible, obviously.

* TheSixties: The story is set in 1967.
** Although both of the main selections mentioned by the Columbia Record Club employee were released in [[TheSeventies 1970]].

* TraumaCongaLine: This is a [[Creator/TheCoenBrothers Coen Brothers film]], so expect this to be done to absurd levels.

* WhamLine: [[spoiler:"Oh, Sy Ableman died in a car crash".]] Especially funny in that the person delivering the line thinks of it wholly as an afterthought.
** Oddly enough, there're bits of dialogue that subtly ''subverts'' this trope. For example, Larry's co-worker often delivers news of the tenure proceedings without really confirming anything, but the audience is made to understand that's confirmation of certain events.
* XanatosGambit - Clive's and his father's plan against Larry is one. If Larry reports the bribe, he will be sued for defamation. If he pretends the bribe didn't happen but doesn't raise Clive's grade, he will be sued for taking money. Ultimately his only option is to take the bribe or risk losing everything.

* [[SchrodingersCat Schrödinger's Cat]]: Occurs multiple times as a general theme, both on a literal and metaphorical level. It can be seen as a metaphor for general uncertainty in the world.
** Discussed literally in the film since Larry is a physics teacher
** Larry's marriage is in completely the opposite state to what he thought it was,
** When Larry both is and isn't being bribed.
---> '''Mr. Park''': Please. Accept the mystery.
** The question of whether something deadly lurks in Larry's chest is about to be resolved at the end of the film, as if the story was the superposition of possible X-ray examination outcomes which collapses into a single state when the box is opened.

* MortonsFork: A student who has failed his exam leaves an envelope of money in Larry's office, as a bribe to get a passing grade. When Larry discusses the matter with the student's father, he realises that he has three equally unpleasant options that fit in well with the previously explained theme of SchroedingersCat.

* GodIsEvil: Or at least appears that way as a result of being [[EldritchAbomination completely incomprehensible]]. [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation Alternately]], He is just, but harsh to Old Testament levels. Or maybe he is just working in mysterious ways. The short term format of the film means that the consequences of our characters actions are left ambiguous. And that is assuming that God exists/is involved in the plot at all.

* {{Blackmail}}: Clive and his father. Larry finally relents, and is rewarded by his employer, to give you an idea [[CrapsackWorld what kind of values are at work here]].

* [[SchrodingersCat Schrodinger's Cat]]: Occurs multiple times as a general theme, both on a literal and metaphorical level. It can be seen as a metaphor for general uncertainty in the world.

* CloudCuckoolander: Arthur

* FakeOutOpening

** Larry seeing his neighbour sunbathing topless is reminiscent of David seeing Bathsheba.
** The overarching story itself has been compared to the story of Job.

** If you're fast enough to catch it, apparently Larry's wife is using Tuchman Marsh, aka the Law Firm briefly mentioned in the Coen Brother's previous film, ''Film/BurnAfterReading''.

[[caption-width-right:350:[-We're Going To Be Fine...-] ]]

* BitchInSheepsClothing: Although he is almost absurdly courteous to Larry's face, it is heavily implied that Sy Ableman [[spoiler; was the one writing the anonymous and defamotory letters to the tenure board about Larry]]

* CatchPhrase: Larry's "I haven't *done* anything!", showing his desperation in the face of having his traditional "actions and consequences" worldview challenged. He simply can't understand why things keep happening to him unprovoked.

* AsianAndNerdy[=/=][[EducationMama Education Papa]]: Both these Asian stereotypes are subverted; Clive, aiming for a scholarship, failed his physics exam because he ''didn't know it would have math'' and his father prefers to offer bribes to his teachers rather than to get his son to study harder.