>>Do you have to be Jewish to appreciate this movie? > >I'll say that I don't know why someone who isn't Jewish would >want to see this film (other than it being made by the Coen >Brothers), and I'm frequently surprised whenever I see/read >about someone who isn't Jewish say that they REALLY enjoyed >this film. It's about as Jewish a film as has ever been made. > indeed, it's definitely more Jewish than any film I can think of offhand, although I feel that a truly effective film can take you into the world of any culture & find something that's either universal in nature or at the least interesting to an outside observer even if not fully understood/appreciated.
>>Was there something from the Torah or Jewish folklore that >>this movie had as subtext that I clearly was unaware of? > >Well, not necessarilly, because I'm Jewish, and I remember >precious little about the Torah/Old Testament and only have >knowledge of basic Jewish folklore. But it certainly helps to >understand the Jewish "mindset" and how we think about and >argue problems, religion, life, etc.
I mean I kind of grasped the things expressed by the junior rabbi, etc.......what I had the hardest time with was the way this guy reacted to the things that happened to him, it eliminated any sympathy I had for him or investment in his outcome.
And no other character was really sympathetic or fully realized enough to make me care.