BETWEEN the TEMPLES with Jason Scwhartzman and Carol Kane

BETWEEN the SHEETS (BTS) is a Jewish comedy/drama by independent filmmaker Nathan Silver. It slides in somewhere between the movies "Harold and Maude" and the Cohn brother's "A Serious Man".  It centers around the burgeoning relationship between a temple's cantor, Ben Gottlieb (Jason Schwartzman) and a much older woman, Carla Kessler (Carol Kane) who wants to become a Bat Mitzvah. As in "Harold and Maude" there is a connection forged between two eccentric loners with the woman significantly older than the man. Ben has been battling depression for a year since the death of his wife and lost his ability to sing. Carla is a widow and retired music teacher seeking to grasp her misaligned Jewish identity. As in "Serious Man", the film takes a darkly comic look at Jewish lives centered around the Rabbi and congregants of the same Synagogue. Schwartzman has perfected the slow, melancholy that makes him annoying and affecting. Ben's a cantor who's lost his singing voice while trying to find his footing under the benevolent guidance of the Rabbi. He's currently living in the basement of his domineering mother's home where she lives with her lesbian partner. Of course, it doesn't hurt that his mother is a major donor to the synagogue. The Rabbi is also flexible when dealing with possible donors likely to contribute generously which pile on to the satirical dry humor of the film  The Rabbi contends "We're all free to love whom we love." He also practices putting in his office into the shofar and dispenses wisdom to Ben as he caddies for him. The scenes of Jewish teens in the synagogue and flashbacks to the young Ben Gottlieb were delightful and  earnest. There's an ambling feeling to the film.  You're not sure where the film is headed which serves to launch the movie in a haphazard manner keeping you intrigued to learn what will happen to Ben and Carla and perhaps, between them. There's also the feeling of having unscripted dialogue similar to "Curb Your Enthusiasm." Some scenarios are especially memorable as in the Shabbat dinner with Ben, Carla, the Rabbi and his family and Ben's family. Also, unforgettable was the dinner with Ben and Carla with her family. Shots of the congregation during Friday night service showed a dwindling, older population with a spattering of required younger members that rang true as did many other seemingly innocuous scenes that cleverly portrayed or parodied Jewish assimilation. There was a poignant scene in which Ben sought enlightenment from a Priest regarding beliefs in the afterlife. BTS has the fabric to become a cult film like "Harold and Maude" thanks to a lot of the genius and droll humor the Cohns brought to "A Serious Man." This film is fitted into the Jewish comedy/drama genre where Jewish stereotypes are aired with some parts faring better than others. You don't have to be Jewish to enjoy BTS. You do need an open mind for this independent film. You'll be blessed with a quirky comedy stuffed with an exceptional cast.