Fred Melamed did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Sy Abelman in A Serious Man.
Fred Melamed portrays the most evil of all characters, also known as Sy Abelman. A character who is introduced simply enough, as our protagonist Jewish college professor Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg) is taking care of his messages one day. And even in his phone introduction, Melamed's performance is most beautifully articulate depictions of patronizing that one may in this case listen to even as briefly as it is. His dialogue is only indicating that it is indeed he Sy Abelman, and asking how Larry is, yet it is Melamed's delivery of this that speaks to so much more than that, in what it will eventually indicate. But what is it that makes Melamed's delivery so malevolent? Well, the kindness of it, the dulcet tones of it, as Abelman's voice is of the dearest friend without a care in the world or any concern regarding what his business with Larry might be. Larry eventually appears as it becomes known that he wants to marry Larry's wife Judith, and suddenly all that friendliness becomes something else entirely. And when Abelman finally appears, he couldn't be kinder in every word, saying how much he respects Larry, and even gifts wine that he properly instructs Larry on. Melamed's physical performance closes in as much space between himself and Stuhlbarg as it seems at all times, and stares him almost unrelentingly in the eye. Yet his voice is still so gentle, and reassuring that they must all behave a certain way. He even embraces Larry indicating that "we're going to be fine". All of this creates this claustrophobia of constant support, presumed warmth, and concern. Yet given the situation that Sy is cuckolding Larry, Melamed's delivery just has this tinge of excessiveness in all of this, that makes it all a little hard to believe. Creating more so an onslaught of a different kind. And when we meet Sy again, he carries on the same way, where you'd think Sy might be wanting to marry Larry rather than Judith with just how physical and loving he is. Meanwhile, Sy and Judith's manner is more so as a legal team dictating terms on Larry's case, which involves kicking Larry out of his own house. Melamed gives the most sinister portrayal of cordiality that one can imagine as he is in this state of a patronizing hostile "friendship", where he speaks every suggestion, which all involve hardship for Larry, with such passive certainty and calm assurance that's the right thing to do. One must give particular credit to Melamed for his delivery of "blame game", like he's their marriage counselor, rather than the adulterer. And there is just something in Melamed's eyes and his mouth, that seems to quietly indicate the true nefarious evil of Sy, behind all his positive structuring of every torturous notion. His only break from this is his reaction of disbelief when Larry suggests he and Judith move in together, with Melamed's hilarious reaction that is as though it is a completely insane notion, unlike his perfectly sane notions that control Larry's existence. Melamed mastered the art of passive-aggressive mind games, where everything he says is a way to hurt Larry and mess with him, but he says it with the utmost kindness. Melamed's performance works in part in just creating this sort of uncompromising claustrophobic environment, where he expresses this control with this ease that makes him all the more unbearable, as he's so horrible well being just so cordial. It also must be stated that Melamed's whole performance of this is effective in that more ominous way, but also is hilarious in just how particular he is. Melamed's way of going about it makes every line, every little weird look and head tilt, just hilarious, even as it is aggravating as all hell. But then rather shockingly Sy dies off-screen in an auto accident. And except for the strong indication that Sy has been sending letters to discredit Larry, he has no more interaction in reality, though he shows up for one more dream. When he speaks to Larry in his classroom, it is a brilliant scene for Melamed because it is a very different performance. One can take this as Larry's version of Sy, or perhaps this is the true Sy revealing himself in his dream. Because Melamed puts on no sense of propriety, no false warmth, care concern, or calm. He now is directly pestering, his delivery is now hectoring and hateful when demanding that Larry explain uncertainty. His declaration that he's "A serious man" is with a vicious sneer, only to be followed quite bluntly he literally is slamming Larry into the wall and bluntly telling him he had sex with his wife. Melamed again now just aggressive aggressive and perhaps revealing just how much ire was truly contained in that "kind" fellow. I could be less generous to this performance but that would be wrong, as it would be on nonsense reasons like brevity. Because the truth is Melamed is one of the most memorable aspects of this film, and he's something from it that I've never forgotten since the first time I've seen the film. Melamed's performance could have been so many other things, but what he is is such an idiosyncratic piece of work, that creates a one-of-a-kind character, in what could be an average character of the "slick adulterer" instead into something else entirely that personifies a world that seems to project kindness, yet only cruelty exists in its actions. A performance that is bizarrely magnetic in creating such a strangely unnerving tone so naturally, while also just being so hilarious in his peculiar nature. As brief as it is, I can't find any reason not to call this a great performance, as with such ease Melamed crafts maybe one the strangest but also one of the most unsettling villains, in such a tangible way, to grace the screen.
