Israeli filmmaker Amos Gitai set out to enlist Henri Alekan’s legendary cinematographic talents to recast elements from the biblical text of Ruth and its commentary on the theme of exile in present-day Paris. Drawing further on references found in the Spanish Kabbalistic story of the Golem as a spirit of exile and wanderers, Gitai cast Hannah Schygulla as the embodiment of the other-wordly spirit conjured from earth and clay and employed an array of international actors and directors—including Sam Fuller, Bernardo Bertolucci, and Philippe Garrel, in cameo appearances—as well as actors from Peter Brooks’s ensemble and dancers from Pina Bausch’s company. The superlative cinematography, at times referencing silent techniques, casts light on both the ancient and modern themes and the story’s various cinematic precursors.