Jason Schwartzman is a recently widowed cantor in the off-kilter comedy Between the Temples. He's depressed, can't sing during temple services, and is living in the basement of his two loving, meddling moms. His life brightens when—out of the blue—his childhood music teacher asks to be his student for a late-in-life bat mitzvah.
Played by Carol Kane, she's wonderfully odd—a free spirit searching for her place in the universe.
Director Nathan Silver's movie is funny and awkward. There's a disheveled 70s vibe, and plenty of uncomfortable pauses. During one cringeworthy dinner scene, ridiculously oversized menus complicate things. Robert Smigel is Rabbi Bruce, an uptight mensch. Gossip and ghosts lurk.
Between the Temples finds humor in lonely souls clumsily reaching out to each other, and what a small miracle it is when misfits manage to meet and connect. Kane and Schwartzman’s energies blend beautifully, and their performances burn with bruised joy.
I loved this movie until the turn at the end, which I felt made no sense. shrug.