A Serious Man is a dark comedy-drama film written, directed, and produced by Joel and Ethan Coen. The plot is set in 1967 in a Jewish community in Minnesota, and it follows the tormented and surreal life of Larry Gopnik, a physics professor who is undergoing a midlife crisis.
Larry's life starts to unravel when he receives a series of bad news: his wife Judith wants a divorce, his health is in jeopardy, and his son Danny is smoking marijuana and has incurred a huge bill for his attendance to a school in the synagogue. On top of that, he receives anonymous hate letters that threaten his reputation and livelihood.
Desperately seeking answers and solace, Larry turns to three different rabbis for spiritual guidance, but each one provides him with cryptic and unsatisfying advice. Along the way, he navigates various forms of human frailty, from greed, lust, and betrayal to corruption, bureaucracy, and irrational fear.
As the story unfolds, Larry becomes increasingly isolated and disillusioned, while his world crumbles around him. In the end, A Serious Man leaves many questions unanswered and suggests that life may be a series of absurd and inexplicable events that defy our understanding and control.