Does Garden State conform to the recognised view of Jewish family life?
A. I think there are certain lines in the movie that I probably related to because I grew up in the Jewish suburbs and this is about the Jewish suburbs. So it seemed very accurate to me, this is something I have information about because that’s how I grew up. In that way, I related to this particular story a lot because it was so similar to where I grew up. Like the part where Zach’s character says about people only going to synagogue once a year and they have to extend the walls to fit all the people in for the one day of the year when they actually got to Temple. That’s something I could fully relate to as an American Jew in the New York suburbs. But I also think it’s limiting to do things that are according to your own experience, or to play parts that are like you. I try and do things that are different all the time; I’m not particularly looking for any themes that are like my life. You just probably relate to things more easily when it’s stuff you recognise. Q. You have decided to
