“The Fantastic Golem Affairs” is best approached not with logic, but with curiosity (and maybe a healthy dose of patience). This Spanish absurdist sci-fi comedy begins with a moment so outlandish that you’ll either bail quickly or settle in for more of the weird.
During a rooftop movie game, a man strips naked and wildly pretends to be a monkey. In the chaos he falls to his death, only to shatter into ceramic pieces on impact. From there, the film leans hard into its magical-realist premise, offering a strange, stylish, and occasionally exhausting ride through grief, friendship, and existential dread.
Juan (Brays Efe) is left to untangle not only the mystery of his friend David’s (David Menéndez) bizarre death, but also the deeply odd world around him. Juan lives I a place that’s unfazed by the shattering of human bodies, obsessed with bureaucratic red tape, and ruled by an algorithm that dictates how you’ll die. His journey becomes a surreal odyssey through clay golems, techno-spiritual mysticism, and unexpected homoerotic undercurrents as he tries to make sense of a world where death is literal deconstruction.
The film is a playful and dreamlike visual treat, as directors Juan González and Nando Martínez infuse the movie with a handmade, technicolor aesthetic that recalls everything from classic musicals to vintage sci-fi serials. The use of rear projection, color-blocked sets, and practical effects adds a theatrical quality that amplifies the absurdity.
Unfortunately, the film often struggles with its tone and pacing. For a movie built on such an outrageous setup, it is surprisingly slow and not quite as funny as it seems to think it is. Some gags land beautifully while most others feel stretched thin. The screenplay meanders and leans more on its whimsical vibes than on narrative momentum. It’s a frustrating experience, to say the least.
The film cleverly uses its absurdity to explore deeper themes like the fear of emotional disconnection, the way modern life turns grief into paperwork, and how loneliness can harden us into brittle versions of ourselves.
Fans of international absurdist cinema will probably enjoy the surreal, retro-tinged, and emotionally curious storytelling that “The Fantastic Golem Affairs” offers. It’s visually inventive and deliberately oddball, but this isn’t one that’s going to please mainstream moviegoers.
By: Louisa Moore
Screen Zealots 