Picture it, it’s 17th century in Lithuania, there is an outbreak of a deadly plague and foreign invaders. A woman desperate to protect her village conjures an ancient entity.
The Paz brothers, who brought us the supernatural film JeruZalem (review), have announced the February release of their latest film The Golem.
The film centers on, Hanna (Hani Furstenberg), the wife of a rabbi (Ishai Golen), Hanna (Hani Furstenberg). Hanna conjures a dangerous entity to protect her Jewish community from foreign invaders. But the creature is far more dangerous than she knows.
During our interview with Yoav Paz, he went into detail about the film as well explaining the history of the golem. He also revealed that the ritual in the film is very real.
It features a dark Jewish mythology about a creature. The legends say that when Jews were in danger a Rabi could make a Golem out of clay and mud to protect them. Golems were the basis for Frankenstein and other creatures. The mythology is ancient.
In the original stories, a Rabi makes the golem. The twist is that a woman makes the golem. A woman was not allowed to study the bible in those days. Now it’s still separated. Even now in synagogs, women have to sit in a different section. When I was in film school, a lot of my filmmaker friends were scared to make horror films. It was our first year and all of the teachers wanted realistic films. Until now, the majority has been dramas and comedies. That is starting to change.
In The Golem, the female lead is very brilliant. She hides under the synagog to listen and she studies the Bible in secret, only her husband knows, because it wasn’t allowed then. When the village is in danger she creates the creature. The ceremony we use in the film is real. People could try to make one themselves [laughter].
The Golem opens in Los Angeles February 1st and is set to be released on VOD, Blu-ray, and DVD on February 5, 2019.
