Michael Stuhlbarg is the lead in the new film from Joel and Ethan Coen, 'A Serious Man,' playing a persecuted university professor seeking metaphysical answers

Credit: Focus Features

It's daring of the Coen Brothers to make a movie starring absolutely no one the general audience recognizes.  To a large extent, they get to make the movies they make because movie stars think it's awesome to work with the Coen Brothers.  And they're right, of course.  It is awesome to work with the Coen Brothers.  Because they are, sorry to be redundant but I have to be because it's true, awesome.

If you haven't seen the trailer for "A Serious Man" yet, go check it out at Apple, where they've got the HD version and an exclusive premiere.  Don't check it out on someone else's imbed, especially if they're earning ad revenue.  That's shady.  Apple's the one place that is officially supposed to have the trailer today, and I'm sure we'll be able to embed it later.

"Please... I need help."

[more after the jump]

I'd argue this is the best trailer for a Coen Brothers film since the first trailer for "The Big Lebowski," cut entirely to the Kenny Rogers song.

It's as great a trailer as that magnificent "Miller's Crossing" trailer.  It's suggestive, provocative, strange, haunting.  The entire trailer is cut to the sound of a character's head repeatedly being slammed into a wall.  BLAP! BLAP! BLAP! BLAP! It's really unsettling, especially with the unfolding mini-drama between Larry Gopnik (played by Michael Stuhlbarg) and the secretary of a rabbi he's trying to see.

"I've had... marital problems."

It looks like Larry's world is falling apart.  His wife wants a divorce.  Someone's writing anonymous letters to the university where he teaches, smearing his name.  He's in a car accident.

"I've tried to be a serious man."

And that voice when she turns him down.  So bizarre.  So off-putting.  And then the assault of Jefferson Airplane, and that same BLAP! BLAP! BLAP! BLAP! as we're reminded of just how many great films these guys have made.

It's a wonderful trailer.  Can't wait to find out when they'll start screening the movie, or if I'm going to have to wait for a festival this fall.

Can't get enough of Motion/Captured? Don't miss a post with daily HitFix Blog Alerts. Sign up now.

Don't miss out. Add Motion/Captured to your iGoogle, My Yahoo or My MSN experience by clicking here.

Not part of the HitFix Nation yet? Take 90 seconds and sign up today.