Beautiful pictures from A Serious Man, directed by Joel & Ethan Coen in 2009. This black comedy that takes place in Minnesota, has been awarded for its cinematography by Roger Deakins, thanks to its highly stylized and gorgeous aesthetics. The Middle West of the 60s and the Jewish community, sweet nostalgia tinged with sarcasm. These are elements depicted with exceeding accuracy (either in the set design, costumes, cars, or behavior) making us enjoy a total immersion.
Situations are subtle and tasty but also delusional. Taking us back to the universe of American Beauty in its aesthetics (small houses lined up, carefully manicured lawns) and with characters’ relations (the loving redemption), the Coen brothers create a heavy atmosphere with a slow pace and weighing tracking shots. The gallery of characters, gladly caricatured by close-ups, are strongly affected by an immense tenderness. For instance, this memorable scene where Larry climbs onto the roof of his house to fix the antenna leads him to contemplate life flow into a state of metaphysical vacancy.
