My puppet film “The Golem of Gabirol” follows the legends about Solomon Ibn Gabirol (XI century, Andalusia, Spain), famous Hebrew poet and philosopher who allegedly created the female golem, for the sake of love…It i is a dramatic story that deals with the mysteries of the Creation and human existence. It has been told from the point of view of the young Andalusian girl.

Review by Victoria Angelique:

The animated film, THE GOLEM OF GABIROL, gives praise to vintage storytelling that takes the viewer back in time. The story feels like a parable that comes straight from scripture, complete with the soothing narration with the voice of a grandmother telling children her tale. It’s easy to sit back and just be swept away as the story takes flight. 

This film takes from Jewish folklore, combining an allegorical tale to retell the familiar creation story of Adam and Eve. The surface story is a woman spotting a man forming a puppet from clay that looks just like her and the woman comes to life. She thinks the man loves this clay woman and is confused over his affections to her. It becomes clear of the allegory to Adam and Eve when figs are picked from a tree, symbolizing the tree of life. 

The whimsical songs that are interspersed throughout the animated film are typical of Jewish culture, but it keeps the attention of the viewer. This is especially true if children are to pay attention and learn from the story. The song at the end is what really ties the surface story to the allegory of Adam’s affections for Eve and Lilith. This would make even the youngest viewer realize what they saw, enhancing their education of metaphors without needing the definition.

The vintage animation style is one rarely seen anymore, but it feels right for this particular story. It feels like scripture coming to life, as if flipping pages. It’s a simple paper animation, with little movement of the character’s on the screen as if reading from a picture book. It’s classic and works when telling stories of religious nature.