20 Things You Didn't Know About A Serious Man

As mentioned earlier, the Coens named the students in Larry's class after members of their production posse. The directing duo takes this a notch higher with the children who ride the bus with Danny and named them after actual children in their childhood.

This is apt given the brothers grew up in a family descended from Eastern European Ashkenazi Jews and grew up in a town similar to the one depicted in the film so it would only be natural that they would find inspiration from their formative years. This adds to the film's understated nature as well as its realism as it features characters such as the neighbourhood bully as well as the teen who just discovered the joy of expletives and runs with it.

This, plus the religious background, further reinforces the idea that this film is their most personal creative effort yet and gives viewers a unique view into their lives and worldviews.