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Directors: Joel and Ethan Coen. With Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Kind, Fred Melamed
THE AMERICAN MIDWEST, 1967. Larry Gopnik, a Jewish physics professor, is a good husband and father, and a good man all round, who has always tried to do the right thing. The day when his wife, Judith, tells him she is in love with a widowed friend, is also the day when his cosy life starts to unwind. If you are thinking this Sight & Sound Film of the Month is a downbeat family drama reminiscent of In the Bedroom, think again. The 19th century eastern European prologue places us immediately in the Coens’ own eccentric universe. A universe that is quite endearing, sometimes absurd, frequently inspired – and funny. Unless, that is, your funny bone was last tickled by Terry and June.
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