A Friendship Broken, a Reality Even Stranger

MOVIE REVIEW
The Fantastic Golem Affairs (El fantástico caso del Golem)
 -     

Genre: Comedy, Sci-Fi
Year Released: 2023, 2025
Runtime: 1h 38m
Director(s): Burnin’ Percebes (Juan González, Fernando Martínez)
Writer(s): Burnin’ Percebes (Juan González, Fernando Martínez)
Cast: Brays Efe, Bruna Cusí, Luis Tosar, Javier Botet, Anna Castillo, Nao Albet, Roberto Álamo, Roger Coma, Tito Valverde, David Menéndez
Where to Watch: in select theaters August 29, 2025

RAVING REVIEW: THE FANTASTIC GOLEM AFFAIRS wastes no time announcing its intentions: this is not a world bound by rules. Within the first minutes, a rooftop game between friends ends with one of them plummeting to his death — only his body doesn’t break in the way ours would. Instead, he smashes into porcelain shards, as if he were never human at all. It’s a shocking image, absurd and unsettling, that sets the tone for what follows: a surreal odyssey where death, bureaucracy, and friendship intersect in a Spain that feels both familiar and utterly alien. This film isn’t what you think it will be, and then when you think you understand what it is, it resets expectations and becomes something else entirely.

Directors Juan González and Fernando Martínez, known collectively as Burnin’ Percebes, aren’t interested in a conventional mystery. Their premise — a man shattering like ceramic — could have been milked for horror or tragedy. Instead, they use it as a springboard for absurdist comedy, grounding their story in a protagonist who isn’t cut out for heroism. Brays Efe plays Juan with a mix of slack-jawed confusion and earnest determination. He isn’t a man of action so much as a man trapped by circumstance, pushed along by a chain of bizarre events, eccentric characters, and increasingly surreal obstacles.

What gives the film its bite is the way it treats the extraordinary as mundane. When David (David Menéndez) explodes, his funeral proceeds with indifference. Insurance claims for the car he fell on become more pressing than the fact that a human body was shattered like a vase. It’s here that Burnin’ Percebes make their commentary known: in a world governed by paperwork and self-interest, even death can become just another bureaucratic hurdle.

Visually, the film leans into its absurdity with a retro aesthetic. Practical effects, deliberately artificial projections, and a heightened color palette create a reality that always feels slightly off. It’s a style rooted in tradition — Spain’s legacy of surrealist cinema looms large — but the duo brings a punk edge that recalls early Almodóvar mixed with the anarchic spirit of Monty Python. Scenes of pianos falling from the sky or corporations treating life and death as commodities don’t feel like digressions, but essential parts of this world’s logic.

The supporting cast adds depth to the strangeness. Luis Tosar, usually associated with hard-hitting dramas, plays Toni with a gravitas that amplifies the absurdity around him. Bruna Cusí and Anna Castillo bring warmth and chaos to their roles, while Javier Botet — renowned for his portrayal of creatures in horror cinema — lends his distinctive physicality to a character who is unsettling even in this heightened reality. Each actor commits to the madness, grounding the surreal humor in performances that never wink at the audience.

THE FANTASTIC GOLEM AFFAIRS thrives on its unpredictability, but that same quality can become its stumbling block. The film sometimes loses momentum, piling on ideas faster than it can resolve them. Midway through, the sheer number of detours — romantic tangents, corporate conspiracies, existential musings — threatens to overwhelm. It’s not that these elements aren’t engaging, but rather that they compete for attention, making the narrative feel looser than it needs to be. The film’s charm is in its chaos, though it occasionally drifts into indulgence.

This is a film about friendship, about realizing you’re not the center of the universe, and about navigating life when those closest to you are suddenly gone. Juan’s investigation into David’s death is less about answers than about grappling with absence. His friend’s body may have shattered into pieces, but what he’s left with is the void that follows when someone you rely on disappears. The film utilizes this strangeness as a metaphor — loss prompts us to question the logic of the world, and sometimes it feels just as arbitrary and ridiculous.

Burnin’ Percebes also laces the film with commentary on modern life in Spain, from the hollowness of corporate culture to the disposability of relationships in a world where individual needs are always prioritized. Their tone softens these critiques, but it also puts them on point, making the ridiculousness of society more apparent through parody.

By the end, THE FANTASTIC GOLEM AFFAIRS may not tie its loose threads into a neat package, but that isn’t the point. It’s less about solving a mystery than experiencing one, and in that sense, it succeeds. Viewers open to its anarchic humor and shifts will find plenty to enjoy; those seeking a straightforward narrative may walk away feeling baffled. Either reaction, though, is a sign of its success: it’s a film designed to provoke, unsettle, and amuse in equal measure. THE FANTASTIC GOLEM AFFAIRS dares to be messy, strange, and sincere. It may not fully stick the landing, but it stands out as a work unafraid to shatter expectations — much like its porcelain-bodied catalyst.

Please visit https://linktr.ee/overlyhonestr for more reviews.

You can follow me on Letterboxd, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. My social media accounts can also be found on most platforms by searching for 'Overly Honest Reviews'.

I’m always happy to hear from my readers; please don't hesitate to say hello or send me any questions about movies.

[photo courtesy of AQUÍ Y ALLÍ FILMS, ELAMEDIA ESTUDIOS, GLUON MEDIA]

DISCLAIMER:
At Overly Honest Movie Reviews, we value honesty and transparency. Occasionally, we receive complimentary items for review, including DVDs, Blu-rays, CDs, Vinyl Records, Books, and more. We assure you that these arrangements do not influence our reviews, as we are committed to providing unbiased and sincere evaluations. We aim to help you make informed entertainment choices regardless of our relationship with distributors or producers.

Amazon Affiliate Links:
Additionally, this site contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we may receive a commission. This affiliate arrangement does not affect our commitment to honest reviews and helps support our site. We appreciate your trust and support in navigating these links.