The Golem (2018 film)

The Golem is a 2018 Israeli period supernatural horror film directed by Doron and Yoav Paz, and written by Ariel Cohen. It stars Hani Furstenberg, Ishai Golan, Brynie Furstenberg, and Konstantin Anikienko. The Golem is based on the Jewish legend of the same name, and the film's creators felt that the legend, which they referred to as "the Jewish Frankenstein", had never been properly developed into a film since the 1951 version The Emperor and the Golem. Originally it was intended to retain the original appearance of the title character for the film, "In the beginning, when we just started on the idea for the movie, we tried to tell the story as it is. That is with the real giant creature made of mud and clay,". The idea was soon abandoned, however, after realizing that it would not fit with the story they wanted to convey, deciding instead to reimagine the classic tale for a more contemporary audience while staying true to its original themes. Principal photography for The Golem commenced in the summer of 2017 near Kiev, Ukraine, for a month and a half, with the majority of the film was shot in an isolated outdoor set, "in the middle of nowhere".

The Golem
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
  • Doron Paz
  • Yoav Paz
Produced byShalom Eisenbach
Written byAriel Cohen
Starring
Music byTal Yardeni
CinematographyRotem Yaron
Edited byItamar Goldwsser
Einat Glaser-Zarhin
Production
company
Distributed byEpic Pictures Group
Release date
Running time
95 minutes
CountryIsrael
LanguageEnglish
Box office$267,793[1]

On April 24, 2018; it was announced that Dread Central had acquired distribution rights to The Golem as their first original production under their "Dread Central Presents" banner, with Epic Pictures serving as executive producers for a limited theatrical release slated for February 2019. The film later made its official premiere at the London FrightFest Film Festival on August 27, 2018. The film would later be released on DVD, Blu-ray, and Video-on-Demand on February 5, 2019. The Golem received positive reviews from critics, who praised Furstenberg's performance, cinematography, and atmosphere; and was nominated for several awards by the Israeli Film Academy.

Plot

In the year 1673, in a small Shtetl in Lithuania, a young woman named Hanna sneaks under the floor of Horrovits, the shtetl’s rabbi, and listens to his lectures. Horrovits later advises his son Benjamin, Hanna's husband, to divorce Hanna due to it being seven years since the death of their son, and she has not conceived since then. Dismissing his father’s advice, Benjamin smuggles a Torah for Hanna inside a clay pot. After giving the Torah to Hanna, Benjamin warns her that it is a Kaballah, and points out that many men have gone mad after reading from its texts. The couple then makes love, with Hanna applying a contraception potion that she had purchased earlier. Later, Hanna begins reading a passage from the Kaballah about the resurrection. The next day, Hanna takes her sister, the pregnant and soon-to-be-married Rebecca, for an immersion ritual of purification in a nearby lake. While at the lake, Hanna observes a plague doctor lurking nearby, and they soon encounter a group performing burial due to Black death outbreak. The following day, Rebecca's wedding is halted when a group of peasants in plague masks arrive. Their leader, Vladimir, accuses them of cursing their people and his daughter with the plague, claiming that none of the Jews has contracted it. Intending to massacre the entire village, Vladimir is stopped when Perla convinces him to spare the village while she tries to heal his daughter, to which he begrudgingly agrees. However, Vladimir warns her that if his daughter dies, he will wipe out the entire village and burn it all to the ground. Horrovits gathers all the adult males of the village, suggesting that they repent in order to save themselves from annihilation. Interrupting the meeting, Hanna argues that they should fight back, encouraging them to make a Golem to protect the village, but is rebuffed by Horrovits, who states that only Moses could create and control one. Horrovits later gathers together a prayer procession, asking God to spare Vladimir's daughter.

That night, Hanna visits her sister and discovers she had a miscarriage after being assaulted by one of the invaders. Enraged, Hanna sneaks into the synagogue and finds the 72 secret names of God hidden in the Torah in order to reveal the code of merkabah which could summon a Golem. Going into the nearby woods, she forms a mud sculpture of the Golem, and places a Shem HaMephorash inside the sculpture’s mouth, completing the ceremony by setting ablaze a Star of David before passing out. Waking up the following day, Hanna discovers the sculpture has disappeared. Meanwhile, Perla pleads with Vladimir to have mercy on the village but to no avail, and the village is soon put under curfew. Later that night, while investigating strange sounds that seem to emanate from somewhere inside the house, Benjamin discovers Hanna’s use of contraceptive methods; confronted with this, Hanna reveals that after the loss of their son she could not bear to lose another child.

The next day, in the stables, one of the horses behaves erratically and breaks loose. Chasing after the horse, Hanna is ambushed by a group of the invaders, who proceed to beat and hang her from a tree. She is saved by the Golem, who bears an uncanny resemblance to her dead son. Approaching the Golem, Hanna wipes the mud off its forehead, revealing human skin underneath with the word "EMET" (Hebrew:Truth) carved into its forehead. She leaves the Golem in the stable, but later that night takes the Golem in and bathes it. Perla confronts Hanna, revealing that she was present when another Golem was summoned to protect their people and the creature had gone on a rampage against the very people it was supposed to protect. Perla further warns her that the Golem is not a living thing and that Hanna should destroy it before it becomes too dangerous to control. Perla then makes Hanna promise that if the Golem ever goes out of control she will destroy it. Hanna then tries to drown the Golem, but is shocked to discover that it cannot be killed by normal means. Once Perla is back to her shack, she is threatened by Vladimir to never leave it while his daughter remains in there.

As Hanna goes to fetch the Golem some clothing, she spies Benjamin flirting with another woman. Benjamin rebuffs the woman's advances and makes her leave; the woman is then slaughtered by the Golem later that night. The next day, the village discover the woman’s mutilated corpse and presume she was murdered by outsiders. Benjamin and some others attempt to take the matters into their own hands, but the situation escalates; Rebbeca's husband is killed in the fight, and when Benjamin is about to be murdered but is saved by the Golem who is acting upon Hanna's emotions. A terrified Vladimir and his men flee, taking his daughter with him. Later that night, Benjamin, Hanna and the Golem are gathered for dinner. The Golem stabs himself, showing Hanna that they are connected to each other through pain stimulus. While Hanna and Benjamin have sex, Perla sneaks into the house and tries to kill the Golem, only to be killed by it. Later when Hanna and Benjamin are sleeping, blood starts dripping from the ceiling, waking Benjamin. Going up to the attic, he finds Perla's corpse stuffed inside a chest. Horrified, Benjamin pleads with Hanna to destroy the Golem; she refuses, claiming that the Golem is just a boy.

Fearing that the Golem has now become a danger to the village, Benjamin assembles a minyan alongside Horrovits, with the intention of destroying it. Benjamin then lures the Golem to the synagogue by playing the violin. When the Golem reaches the synagogue, Horrovits tries to kill it by using the Pulsa diNura death curse. The plan almost succeeds until Vladimir, who has returned after his daughter has died, begins to set fires around the entire village, distracting them. With the spell broken, the Golem then slaughters Horrovits and goes on a rampage. Vladimir attacks Hanna and is about to kill her when the Golem tears his heart out, killing him. The Golem then continues its rampage, attempting to kill everyone in sight until Benjamin pleads with Hanna to kill it. Approaching the Golem, Hanna kisses it goodbye, removing the scroll of God's name from its mouth, killing it and finally ending its rampage.

Cast
  • Hani Furstenberg as Hanna
  • Ishai Golan as Benjamin
  • Brynie Furstenberg as Perla
  • Adi Kvetner as Jacob
  • Lenny Ravich as Horrovits
  • Alex Tritenko as Vladimir
  • Konstantin Anikienko as The Golem

Production

Development
The Golem was partially based on the Jewish legend of The Golem of Prague

The Golem was written by Ariel Cohen and directed by the Paz Brothers. The film marks the Israeli filmmakers third directorial effort, whose previous efforts include Phobidilia (2009), and JeruZalem (2013).[2][3] The film itself is partially based on Jewish legend of the same name,[4] specifically the legend of the Golem of Prague, which dates back to 1834,[5] and involves the creation of a golem by a rabbi to defend the Jewish ghetto based in Prague, which results in the golem going on a murderous rampage.[6]

The sons of famed Israeli filmmaker Jonathan Paz,[2] Doron and Yoav grew up with hearing the stories of the golem: "The Golem stories are well known in Israel and we think every kid knows about it in some way or another... We didn’t grow up in an orthodox house, but this story, about a giant monster who saves the Jews from their enemies – it blew our minds."[4] After the success of their 2013 film JeruZalem, the Paz Brothers wanted their next project to be based on Jewish culture and legends,[7] "we thought there’s an appetite for more, so we said we’re Jews in Israel with so much culture and so much mythology around us. Nobody had handled it yet, so we thought this is the path we should go by". After looking into the various Jewish myths and legends, the brothers decided upon adapting the Jewish legend of the Golem.[8] The Paz Brothers felt that the legend, which they referred to as "the Jewish Frankenstein", had never been properly developed into a film since the silent 1920 version The Golem: How He Came into the World. In an interview with PopHorror, the brothers also stated that they were drawn to the elements of Cohen's script which they felt was a very dark, and emotional drama.[9] Originally it was intended to retain the original appearance of the title character for the film, "In the beginning, when we just started on the idea for the movie, we tried to tell the story as it is. That is with the real giant creature made of mud and clay,". The idea was soon abandoned, however, after realizing that it would not fit with the story they wanted to convey, deciding instead to reimagine the classic tale for a more contemporary audience while staying true to its original themes. The brothers later explained, "We like character-driven horror so dealing with just a giant monster wasn’t that appealing for us. That’s how we came up with the idea of dealing with a golem KID."[4] Unlike their previous effort JeruZalem, which they felt relied too much on jump scares, the Paz Brothers stated that they wanted the film to be "a slow burn", focusing more on building atmosphere, and tension as well as the development of the lead character Hanna. "[W]e wanted people to be inside Hanna, to show what she’s going through and tell her story – and not to give thrills every few minutes.[10] The film's bigger budget also allowed the filmmakers to focus more on creating the proper tone and scope for the film. As Doron Paz stated in an interview, "Having a much bigger budget this time allowed us to create the scope needed to re-tell the legend of the Golem." With Yoav Paz further adding that the film's producer Shalom Eisenbach and Epic Pictures "believe in our vision and excited to get it in front [of an] audience".[11]

Casting

Israeli-American actress Hani Furstenberg was cast in the film's main role of Hanna. Furstenberg had previously acted in Yossi & Jagger, Campfire, and The Loneliest Planet.[12] The Paz Brothers had originally contacted Furstenberg about starring in the lead role, feeling that she was the right person for the part. However, Furstenberg opted out two hours before the filmmakers were able to meet her to talk about the role.[13] Furstenberg later recalled, "A friend finally urged me to be a part of the project and read the script … I fell in love with the heart of the story. It’s a very special film in the genre." Unable to find the right actress for the role, the filmmakers recontacted Furstenberg who accepted the role.[13] Referring to her character in the film, Furstenberg called her "a feminist before her time", further explaining "she’s underneath the floorboards of the synagogue, studying secretly, and she just happens to be much smarter and much braver than all the men above her". Furstenberg also explained Hanna's decision to have the Golem take on the form of a child stemmed from the loss of her child seven years prior, which allows the two to "become one and the same".[10] Israeli film and television actor Ishai Golan was later cast in the role of Benjamin. The Paz Brothers had previously known about the actor and were thrilled when he accepted the role.[14] The title character in the film was played Konstantin Anikienko,[15] a local from the Ukraine where the film was shot. The Paz Brothers later commended Anikienko as being "super professional and energetic".[16]

Filming

Principal photography for The Golem commenced in the summer of 2017 near Kiev, Ukraine, for a month and a half.[9] As the filmmakers later recalled, the majority of the film was shot in an isolated outdoor set, "in the middle of nowhere".[13] The location had previously been used in Russian film and subsequently abandoned for decades before the filmmakers decided to film there.[10] Furstenberg described the film's location as being acres of open land, "It didn’t feel like a [film] set. It really felt like we were in this other time." The environment during filming was reportedly one of the coldest summers in Ukraine. The filmmakers later stated that the cold temperatures and isolated location helped them get into the mood of the film: "it really put us in the mood as the filmmakers. So often you shoot a scene then go home to your family and friends. Here, we were so isolated, and it was all about the film."[13] Part of the film's crew members were locals from Ukraine, who had difficulty communicating with the other cast and crew members. The filmmakers later stated that the language barrier between the cast and crew actually proved to be beneficial, as it gave them more time than usual to prepare.[16]

Release

Theatrical release

On April 24, 2018; it was announced that Dread Central had acquired distribution rights to The Golem as their first original production under their "Dread Central Presents" banner, with Epic Pictures serving as executive producers for a limited theatrical release slated for February 2019.[17][18] Epic Pictures later presented footage of the film to potential buyers at the Cannes Film Festival.[11]

The Golem made its official premiere at the London FrightFest Film Festival on August 27, 2018.[19][20] It was later screened at the Busan International Film Festival on October 5, as a part of its "Midnight Passion" program.[21] On November 9, that same year, it was screened at the Morbido Film Fest in Mexico.[22] The film was later screened at the Utopia Film Festival on December 6, 2018.[23] The film made its North American premiere at the 18th annual Screamfest Horror Film Festival[24] on October 14, 2018.[25]

Home media

It was announced that The Golem would be released on DVD, Blu-ray, and Video-on-Demand on February 5, 2019.[26] Epic Pictures would later release the film on that day, and on February 19, that same year.[27]

Reception

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 85%, based on 27 reviews, with an average rating of 6.62/10. The site's consensus reads, "A chillingly effective horror story rooted in rich folklore, The Golem blends centuries-old stories with timely themes to powerful effect."[28] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 63 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "generally positive reviews".[29]

Noel Murray from Los Angeles Times gave the film a positive review, calling it "A well-crafted and idiosyncratic supernatural thriller". In his review, Murray praised the film for its sense of unease, performances, and surprisingly detailed old-world European setting which he called "[a] rich, realistic background adds a tragic dimension to what happens when Hanna tries to play God".[30] Anton Bitel from SciFi Now praised the film, writing, "Beautifully shot in the magic light of Central Europe, The Golem feels all at once classical in its storytelling, and yet unfamiliar in its particulars, as it delves deep into Jewish esoterica for its mythological underpinnings."[31] Kat Hughes from The Hollywood News.com gave the film a mostly positive review, commending the film for its unique portrayal of the title character, and Furstenbera's performance. Hughes concluded his review by writing, "Slow going, and drastically different from previous works, The Golem struggles at times to fully hold the attention, but it ultimately works as a demonstration of The Paz Brothers’ range."[32] Michael Klug from HorrorFreakNews.com awarded the film 4.5 out of 5 stars, praising the film's atmosphere, performances, production values, special effects, and story. Clug concluded his review by writing, "With a strong emotional core, great performances from a talented cast (including a mesmerizing lead performance from Hani Furstenberg) and beautiful production values – The Golem is a clear winner."[33] Kim Newman praised the film's direction, script, and Furstenberg's performance, calling the film "an impressive, grim, period supernatural horror movie which is essentially Fiddler on the Roof meets Pet Sematary."[34] Dennis Schwartz of Ozus' World Movie Reviews rated the film a grade B+, praising the film's atmosphere, unpredictable and provocative narrative, and cinematography.[35] Bobby Lee Lepire of Film Threat rated the film 8/10 stars, writing, "The Golem is creepy, as the cinematography is awash with atmosphere and the use of such a creature is interesting. The dramatic side of things mostly holds up as well, and when combined with the excellent acting, the movie turns out to be very effective and memorable."[36]

Alternately, Adam Mock from Film Inquiry gave the film a negative review, writing, "Pros and cons weighted in, The Golem is a slight recommend for those who enjoy a slow burn in their horror fare, at an hour thirty-five the commitment of the viewer is breezier than it feels. If paced more efficiently, this could have definitely satisfied a broader audience, but instead, we are left with lackluster horror mixed with a decent drama."[37] Roger Moore from Movie Nation commended the film's cinematography, and climax, but criticized the film for its lack of compelling performances, and suspense.[38]

Accolades
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipients Result Ref.

Israeli Film Academy

 22 September 2019 Best Actress Hani Furstenberg Nominated [39][40]
Best Sound Yuval Bar-on Nominated
Best Cinematography Rotem Yaron Nominated

See also

References
  1. "The Golem (2019) - Financial Information". TheNumbers.com. The Numbers. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  2. Dunlevy, T'Cha (July 22, 2015). "Fantasia: Paz brothers explore Bible's dark side in Jeruzalem". MontrealGazette.com. T'Cha Dunlevy. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  3. Donahue, Lauri (August 28, 2015). "It's the Talmud -- with zombies! -- in new Israeli horror film". TimesofIsrael.com. Lauri Donahue. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  4. Nicole, Danielle (November 5, 2018). "Interview: Doron & Yoav Paz for THE GOLEM - Nightmarish Conjurings". Nightmarish Conjurings.com. Danielle Nicole. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  5. Haug, Christine; Mayer, Franziska; Podewski, Madleen (2009). Populäres Judentum: Medien, Debatten, Lesestoffe (in German). Walter de Gruyter. p. 31. ISBN 978-3-484-65176-0.
  6. Bilefsky, Dan (May 10, 2009). "Hard Times Give New Life to Prague's Golem". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 9, 2013. Retrieved 2013-03-19.
  7. Kandell, Susan. "Movie Review & Interview: The Paz Brothers Resurrect "The Golem"Movie Review & Interview: The Golem". IrishFilmCritic.com. IrishFilmCritic Website. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  8. Smith, David. "HCF exclusive interview with The Paz brothers on The Golem". HorrorCultFilms.co.uk. Horror Cult Films. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  9. Blem, Tiffany. "Interview with 'The Golem's' Doron Paz - PopHorror". PopHorror.com. Tiffany Blem. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  10. Woodstock, Patrick. "Interview: Yoav Paz and Hani Furstenberg Discuss Bringing "The Golem" Back to Life". RueMorgue.com. Rue Morgue. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  11. Ramos, Dino-Ray. "Epic Pictures Unveils 'The Golem' As First Original Production For Dread Central Presents". Deadline.com. Dino-Ray Ramos. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  12. Kohn, Eric (2012-10-05). "FUTURES: 'The Loneliest Planet' Star Hani Furstenberg Movies Beyond the Israeli Stage". Indiewire. Retrieved 2013-02-02.
  13. Diaz, Rube. "INTERVIEW: Director And Star Of THE GOLEM Discuss Bringing Jewish Folklore To Life". Popaxiom.com. Popaxiom. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  14. Kermode, Jennie. "Eye For Film: Interview with Doron Paz about The Golem". EyeforFilm.co.uk. Jennie Kermode. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
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  16. King, Jake. "Exclusive: The Paz Brothers discuss 'The Golem' - The Knockturnal". The Knockturnal.com. Jake King. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
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  20. "FrightFest 2018 line-up is announced". Den of Geek.com. Den of Geek. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  21. "4-13 October, 2018". BIFF.kr. Busan International Film Festival. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  22. "The Golem". MorbidoFest.com. Borbido Film Festival. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  23. "Utopia Festival 2018 The Golem - Utopia Festival 2018". UtopiaFest.org. Utopia Film Festival. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  24. Barkan, Jonathan. "Screamfest 2018: Dread Central Presents' THE GOLEM Makes North American Premiere! - Dread Central". Dread Central.com. Jonathan Barkan. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  25. "2018 Festival Schedule". ScreamFestLA.com. ScreamFest Film Festival. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  26. Barkan, Jonathan. "Dread Central Presents: THE GOLEM Blu-ray and DVD Artwork Revealed! - Dread Central". Dread Central.com. Jonathan Barkan. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  27. "The Golem (2019) - Yoav Paz, Doron Paz". Allmovie.com. Allmovie. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
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  29. "Critics Reviews for The Golem - Metacritic". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
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  33. Klug, Michael. "The Golem (2018) Screamfest Review". HorrorFreakNews.com. Michael Klug. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  34. Newman, Kim. "FrightFest review – The Golem (2018)". Johnny Alucard.com. Kim Newman. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  35. Schwartz, Dennis. "golem2018". Sover.net. Dennis Schwartz. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  36. Lepire, Bobby (13 February 2019). "The Golem". Film Threat.com. Bobby Lee Lepire. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
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  38. Moore, Roger. "Movie Review: "The Golem"". Rogers Movie Nation.com. Roger Moore. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  39. Brown, Hannah (22 July 2019). "2019 Ophir Award nominations for Israeli film prizes announced - Israel News - Jerusalem Post". JPost.com. Hannah Brown. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  40. Goodfellow, Melanie. "'The Cakemaker' triumphs at Israel's top Ophir film awards". ScreenDaily.com. Melanie Goodfellow. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
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