--- description: Recent films, from Between the Temples to Uncut Gems to Beau Is Afraid, reflect an increasingly diverse depiction of modern Jewish life onscreen. title: Between the Temples and the New Jewish Cinema image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2180b57495c50815/698a5a2f16d8844999c3f023/between-the-temples-jewish-film.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [movies](/tag/movies/) ## movies Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # _Between the Temples_ and the New Jewish Cinema by [Barry Levitt](/author/barry-levitt/) ## Barry Levitt Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Levitt is a contributor for TIME. Aug 23, 2024 3:39 PM CUT  Jason Schwartzman and Carol Kane in Between the Temples Jason Schwartzman and Carol Kane in Between the TemplesPhoto Illustration by TIME; Sony Pictures Classics/Everett Collection by [Barry Levitt](/author/barry-levitt/) ## Barry Levitt Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Levitt is a contributor for TIME. Aug 23, 2024 3:39 PM CUT 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](https://time.com/6974378/holocaust-remembrance-education-essay/ "undefined") 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 that taps into unique Jewish sensibilities without being about historical trauma. There have been many wonderful Jewish films that aren’t about the Holocaust that explore what it means to be Jewish, including _Hester Street_ (1975), [_Annie Hall_](https://time.com/4738433/annie-hall-1977-review/ "undefined") (1977), _Yentl_ (1983), _Crossing Delancey_ (1988), and _A Serious Man_ (2009). But the films that make up the modern Jewish canon have often been released years, and sometimes decades, apart. Silver’s film is the most recent in what feels like a watershed moment for American Jewish cinema, movies that span multiple genres and defy expectations as they explore what it means to be a Jew in contemporary society. In these films, Jewish protagonists can be heroes, heartthrobs, or some of the most dreadful people you’ve ever come across. **Read more:** [_The Problem With TV’s New Holocaust Obsession_](https://time.com/6975718/holocaust-tv-shows-trend/ "undefined") _Between the Temples_; _Uncut Gems_; [_Armageddon Time_](https://time.com/6179174/armageddon-time-review-cannes/ "undefined")_; You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah_; _The Fabelmans_; [_Beau is Afraid_](https://time.com/6272355/beau-is-afraid-explained/ "undefined"),and [_Shiva Baby_ ](https://time.com/6101055/jewish-women-not-cast-in-jewish-roles/ "undefined")reflect a new, unencumbered attitude toward Jewish representation. Being Jewish in contemporary society means constantly confronting some new article discussing [how you should feel](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/politics-news/liberal-jews-josh-shapiro-vp-pick-1235967481/ "undefined") or act. But these films, all released in the past five years, remind viewers that the experience is anything but a monolith.  Idina Menzel, Samantha Lorraine, Adam Sandler, Sunny Sandler, and Sadie Sandler in 'You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah.' Courtesy of Netflix Even two films about the same topic—a Bat Mitzvah—feel like they come from completely different universes. While _Between the Temples_ masters cringey humor and hysterical, nerve-shredding dinner scenes, Sammi Cohen’s _You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah_ (2023) is an earnest and sweet teen comedy. Yet both offer insight into a distinctly Jewish experience, beyond just the coming-of-age ceremony itself. _Bat Mitzvah_ examines the challenge in balancing the Jewish values taught in Hebrew School with the typical pressures of middle school, while _Between the Temples_ explores how we can find ourselves by reconnecting with our religious roots later in life. Characters vary in their degrees of religiousness. Ari Aster’s horror _Beau is Afraid_ (2023), which the director has described as a “Jewish _Lord of the Rings_,” contains no specific references to Judaism, but the clues are there for those in the know, including the distinct sound of the [blowing of the shofar](https://time.com/5382505/what-is-rosh-hashanah/ "undefined") in the final scene. In _Shiva Baby_ (2020), an exceptional (and exceptionally) anxious comedy, Danielle ([Rachel Sennott](https://time.com/6308103/bottoms-review/ "undefined")) doesn’t have much interest in the religious aspects of Judaism, but her parents do. These films explore cultural Judaism as well as religious Judaism—a great deal of tension in _Shiva Baby_ comes from discussions between Danielle and her parents about whether particular characters are practicing Jews, for example. While both [_Armageddon Time_](https://time.com/6238019/best-movies-2022/ "undefined")and _The Fabelmans_ are period pieces, the fact that two period films distinctly about the Jewish experience were released within weeks of one another in 2022—and neither one is about the Holocaust—is a clear marker of how things have shifted. It seems like every few years there’s a new [_Schindler’s List_](https://time.com/5470613/schindlers-list-true-story/ "undefined"), _The Pianist_, or _Life Is Beautiful_, conditioning audiences to expect a Jewish film in a period setting to automatically take place during the Second World War. (This year saw the release of [_One Life_](https://time.com/6952770/one-life-true-story-nicolas-winton/ "undefined"), based on a Schindler-esque true story, and the [award-winning](https://time.com/6899602/jonathan-glazer-oscars-speech-gaza/ "undefined") [_Zone of Interest_,](https://time.com/6281554/the-zone-of-interest-review/ "undefined") which took a [unique approach](https://time.com/6554425/the-zone-of-interest-true-story/ "undefined") to the atrocities of Auschwitz.) But these two films are different: Both are extremely personal, [semi-autobiographical films](https://time.com/6213123/the-fabelmans-steven-spielberg-life/ "undefined") that explore the filmmaker’s nuclear family. They aren’t specifically about Judaism, per se, but they indirectly explore the religion through hyper-specific family experiences. And both are invested in issues of the contemporary Jewish experience.  Gabriel LaBelle as Spielberg’s Fabelmans stand-in Merie Weismiller Wallace—Universal Pictures/Amblin Entertainment James Gray’s _Armageddon Times_ investigates the director’s own childhood growing up in New York in the 1980s. Paul Graff (Banks Repeta) dreams of being an artist, something his strict but loving parents struggle to accept. But his grandfather (Anthony Hopkins) offers sage, paternal wisdom encouraging him to pursue his dreams. The film explores Paul’s middle-class Jewish upbringing, but simultaneously how this identity intersects with his privilege as a white person, particularly in relation to his Black best friend Johnny (Jaylin Webb). We see the ways the Graff family has had to assimilate into American culture to survive and attempt to thrive, including changing their last name to make their Jewish identity less obvious. _Armageddon Time_ wrestles with ideas of privilege and race, depicting members of Paul’s family using slurs and benefiting from the color of their skin even as they also face discrimination. Paul sees firsthand how Judaism sets his family back yet their whiteness pushes them forward. [Steven Spielberg’s _The Fabelmans_](https://time.com/6234045/steven-spielberg-interview-the-fabelmans/ "undefined") follows teenage Sammy Fableman (Gabriel LaBelle) and his family as the father’s (Paul Dano) job moves them from New Jersey to Arizona, then California. Sammy faces intense [antisemitism](https://time.com/6958957/growing-antisemitism-young-americans/ "undefined"), getting verbally and physically assaulted for existing as a Jew. Sammy doesn’t take this hatred lying down, immediately standing up for himself when the boys at school start calling him “Bagelman.” He gets punched in the face, but instead of backing down he does what Jews have done for generations: uses his artistic expression to process his trauma, becoming widely liked at school for his filmmaking gifts, profoundly altering his relationship with those who tormented him. Even in its 1950s and ‘60s setting, _The Fabelmans_’ explores an [extremely contemporary concern](https://time.com/6763293/antisemitism/ "undefined"), offering an enticing response to intolerance: not to change yourself to obtain approval, but instead to defiantly stand firm in your beliefs and use your naturally given gifts to rise above the bigotry.  Adam Sandler in 'Uncut Gems' Courtesy of A24 Josh and Benny Safdie’s crime-thriller [_Uncut Gems_](https://time.com/5749018/uncut-gems-review-adam-sandler/ "undefined")(2019)also offers a unique approach to antisemitism, presenting Howard ([Adam Sandler](https://time.com/5763816/adam-sandler-2020-oscars/ "undefined")) as a rather appalling person. He ticks off plenty of ugly stereotypes about Jewish people; he’s greedy; lies and deceives to get ahead; and [cares about money](https://time.com/5758173/uncut-gems-diamond-district-explained/ "undefined") more than anything else on Earth. He also wears these things like a badge of honor. He’s about as far from the nebbish Woody Allen-type as a Jew can get. To paraphrase Sandler’s Howard, being awful is how he wins. Belonging to any religion, it goes without saying, doesn’t automatically make anyone a better person, and it’s refreshing to see this explored on-screen. This new wave of Jewish cinema allows considerable moral flexibility in its characters, centering (if not always celebrating) the unlikable (including in _Shiva Baby_ and [_Beau is Afraid_](https://time.com/6270297/beau-is-afraid-review/ "undefined")), or even downright detestable. In _Uncut Gems_, Howard owns who he is so completely, and so proudly, that you can’t help but root for him. It also explains why he possesses considerable sexual magnetism (not a trait that is typically ascribed to Jewish men), attracting beautiful women like his employee Julia ([Julia Fox](https://time.com/6320806/julia-fox-memoir-down-the-drain-review/ "undefined")). Speaking of heartthrobs, _You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah_ does something genuinely radical: How many times have you seen the cute, vacant yet sporty teen heartthrob proudly wear a Star of David? As if it wasn’t revolutionary enough to have a genuinely Jewish teen movie, _Bat Mitzvah_, based on Fiona Rosenbloom’s YA novel, feels special in a number of other ways. Judaism on-screen is often overwhelmingly white, but Cohen’s film has a diverse cast of Jewish characters, and it imagines an almost utopian world for them. There’s not a whiff of antisemitism, and while 13-year-old Stacy Friedman (Sunny Sandler, acting opposite real-life dad Adam) is a complicated and sometimes cruel character, she’s ultimately loving and caring, and would do anything to make things right with the friends she’s betrayed. For Stacy, the actual [Bat Mitzvah ceremony](https://time.com/6141804/tiffany-haddish-afterparty-interview/ "undefined") isn’t important; “It’s important to you and other old people and God and stuff, but to me, the party is important,” she tells her parents (Idina Menzel and Adam Sandler, in a complete departure from their _Uncut Gems_ partnership). Eventually, Stacy realizes the significance of her Bat Mitzvah, but she still cares about her outfit, boys, friends, and party a whole lot more. And in this thrilling new world of Jewish cinema where characters can be anything in any genre, that’s all perfectly kosher. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7011581/between-the-temples-jewish-movies/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7011581/between-the-temples-jewish-movies/"},"headline":"Between the Temples and the New Jewish Cinema","datePublished":"2024-08-23T15:39:17.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:52:04.639Z","description":"Recent films, from Between the Temples to Uncut Gems to Beau Is Afraid, reflect an increasingly diverse depiction of modern Jewish life onscreen.","url":"https://time.com/7011581/between-the-temples-jewish-movies/","keywords":["movies","freelance","culturepod"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2180b57495c50815/698a5a2f16d8844999c3f023/between-the-temples-jewish-film.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Barry Levitt","jobTitle":"Levitt is a contributor for TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/barry-levitt/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2180b57495c50815/698a5a2f16d8844999c3f023/between-the-temples-jewish-film.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"between-the-temples-jewish-film","caption":"Jason Schwartzman and Carol Kane in Between the Temples","creditText":"Photo Illustration by TIME; Sony Pictures Classics/Everett Collection","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/movies/","name":"movies"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7011581/between-the-temples-jewish-movies/","name":"Between the Temples and the New Jewish Cinema"}}]}] ```