A Serious Man

I just saw the movie A Serious Man, by Joel and Ethan Coen, and I really enjoyed it.

First of all, the cinematography:  A Kodachrome representation of the cool 1960's hues covering squat houses with neat little lawns, kitsch living rooms and chrome boat-mobiles parked on gray gravel. This really transported me to a different time and place, but it didn't temper the timeless issues at hand in the plot.

 More than the visual alone was the superb juxtaposition of picture with interesting sound elements. The soundtrack consisted of mostly Jefferson Airplane's Surrealistic Pillow.  This is definitely odd set against Bar Mitzvahs, Hebrew school, ancient rabbis, and all the Geekdom that typically seems to accompany those elements. The apex of this arrived during an anecdotal scene about a dentist, set to Jimi Hendrix. Surprisingly, this really worked for me.  This audio-visual combo resulted in a fresh and subversive take on 1960's Surburban Jewish life, but in the understated manner which I've come to expect from the Coen Brothers.  
Of course, without a decent plot, none of this would have meant much.  The storyline was thought-provoking, and I found myself feeling calm and satisfied at the end of the film.  (I couldn't say the same for No Country For Old Men, which infuriated me, although I liked it overall.)
I feel that there were two main themes here:
1) Life is all about perspective, that is what makes it interesting.
2) Nothing is certain, except death...and uncertainty.

I think these are the two guiding themes of almost every movie The Coens have made.  I found it interesting that the two perspectives given were that of the father, Larry, and that of the son, Danny.  Larry worries about everything and thinks about big issues that have to do with God, his duties as a father and husband, the purpose of his existence, etc.  Danny, on the other hand is a 13-year old boy, and his only concerns are immediate ones: When he will repay his pot dealer, How he will get his walkman back from the Hebrew teacher, etc.  The ending (which I won't divulge) shows that whether you worry every minute away or go with the flow, your life's end doesn't justify the means to which you live your life.  The means is all that there is, and all that matters is living.  The manner in which we choose to live our lives is up to us, and anything could happen for good or bad.

If anyone else saw this film, let me know what you thought of it.  I'd like to discuss the final Rabbi who speaks with Danny but not Larry; and the respective resolutions of both Danny's and Larry's stories...