What makes a film Jewish? The question lacks a definitive answer—but then again, that’s common in the Jewish experience. As the saying goes, “two Jews, three opinions.” The first examples to come to mind are likely films about the Holocaust or a Woody Allen-style comedy. But there’s no fixed definition of a Jewish film, nor is there a strong consensus beyond a film containing some sort of Jewish theme or plotline.
Between The Temples, directed by Nathan Silver, certainly fits within this broad definition. A hilarious and heartfelt comedy, it follows a depressed cantor (Jason Schwartzman) helping his former music teacher (Carol Kane) prepare for a late-in-life Bat Mitzvah. Following a warm reception at Sundance, it will finally reach a wider audience when it releases in theaters on Aug. 23. But it arrives at a moment that feels more significant than a single movie can convey: It’s the latest unapologetically Jewish film…
