‘Between the Temples’: Jason Schwartzman and Carol Kane Share an Unlikely Connection in Unorthodox Jewish Comedy

Sandra Miska

Jason Schwartzman navigates grief his way in “Between the Temples,” a quirky Jewish American comedy that follows Ben Gottlieb (Schwartzman), a cantor at an upstate New York synagogue who, following the death of his wife, no longer has song in his heart. Now he finds himself dealing with a crisis of faith that involves his pondering the afterlife, and even stumbling into a Catholic church for guidance. It is not a spiritual leader whom he comes to lean on, but none other than Carol Kane’s Carla O’Connor, Ben’s former music teacher who comes to him with an unusual request.

Director Nathan Silver, who co-wrote the screenplay alongside C. Mason Wells, taps into the awkwardness of grief, as well as the clumsy, albeit well-intentioned, ways loved ones attempt to console the bereaved. His parents, mom Meira (Caroline Aaron) and stepmom Judith (Dolly de Leon), try to set him up with eligible women, even going as far as to create a JDate profile for him without his knowledge, with cringey results. Even his boss, Rabbi Bruce (Robert Smigel), seems at a loss as to how to help him. To illustrate just how unstable Ben is at the beginning, following a failed attempt to return to cantor duties, he lies down in the middle of the road in the path of a truck.

Enter Carla. She and Ben initially connect after running into each other at a local bar. Carla, who has lost her husband and experienced other setbacks, including losing her job, connects with Ben on a level no one else has been able to since the loss of his wife. Later, she surprises him by showing up at the class he teaches to prepare young people for their bar and bat mitzvahs, the traditional Jewish coming-of-age ceremony that most go through at age 13. She explains that her parents’ politics prevented her from undergoing the rite of passage when she was a young girl, and her gentile husband prohibited her from properly practicing her religion. 

It is certainly a relatable thing for one to feel like they missed out on something in their youth and want to correct that, but, understandably, Ben has reservations about taking on such a mature student. However, Carla wins him over with her passion, and the pair embark on an unorthodox journey in which they surprise everyone around them, but none more than themselves.

Schwartzman and Kane are both terrific and at their most vulnerable, but they leave plenty of room for the supporting cast to flourish. Something that is striking about “Between the Temples” is the care Silver gives to each character. There’s Gabby (Madeline Weinstein), Rabbi Bruce’s failure-to-launch actress daughter who finds herself drawn to Ben, as well as Nat (Matthew Shear), Carla’s atheist son who is suspicious of Ben and disapproving of his mother’s reconnecting with Judaism. One of the film’s most memorable scenes involves the latter having a tense dinner with Ben, Carla and his kids. Even the dead wife, novelist Ruth, is given a voice through her writings and voicemails. 

“Between the Temples” releases Aug. 23 in select theaters.