Franz Kafka’s writing style has always had an impact on me since I read The Metamorphosis (1912) (modernist literature) years ago. A novella suits a short attention span and with the intricacies Kafka inserts into the mundane he manages create horrific sensations through the use of surrealism, enveloping the reader as well as a novel. I didn’t have to dig too deep to allow what I’d read prior, to help me feel Agnieszka Holland’s 2025 film Kafka.
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| https://www.praguereporter.com/ |
Simple effects leave a lasting presence in my mind at least. So, I was drawn to view this film. The film is set in dark alleys of Prague with imposing architecture creating small spaces.
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| Bio Pallas |
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| Bio Pallas. Image from Google Maps |
Staying true to the subject, the language is in German & Yiddish and brings in elements of Czech and even sometimes French. While I sit in a Finnish cinema which is situated in a Swedish speaking region, I felt forced to read the Swedish subtitles while my whole being just wanted to be immersed in the film itself. I managed to let go when I heard French. I do believe the cinematic element of the film was lost a little for me due to having to read some of the fast-paced complex language but I was determined to soak in as much as I could and the impact of the film was not lost.
I hoped the film would be as richly complex, clever, and surreal in its realism as his written work. It was owed that much. The story line was not chronological, jumping to different periods of his life but this was appropriate and helped me understand the parallels drawn in his characterization. In parts of the film where Kafka experienced the possibility of independence and moving forward, the scenery changed to spring, summers with sunlight through leaves and the backdrop of Prague’s beauty, bridged back over to the dark city in the background. His tendency to use surrealism was demonstrated through his perspective and experiences.
Through the film, there were regular unsubtle hints of him being on the autism spectrum. All that drove him and influenced him made sense. What worked best were the dark moments which felt like scary nightmares a child might have, and his reaction to noise and the intensity in his own thoughts. The audience was forced to experience the silence as a relief, just as Kafka’s mind craved. His disconnected commentary on authority was fully realized in the scene where he reads his short story In the Penal Colony out, which felt like a true insight to this spoken word poet. His reading though, was without emotion as he read with a force that was more for his own determination to get the words out. Irony runs throughout the film in social commentary linked even to mass tourism today. The juxtaposition of eras and populist thinking patterns speaks loudly even now while we’re watching it happen in world and nationalist politics.
Since watching it, I’ve followed up with a little research and I now know I need to follow up with my film viewing & reading with:
- Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life (1993). Short film, starring Richard E. Grant & won an Oscar.
- Kafka (1991) directed by Steven Soderbergh, the character of Franz Kafka played by Jeremy Irons.
- America (Kafka's novel) (1927), a vision of the New World as a realm of chaos and loss of
control.
Let me know, what impact Kafka has had on you?
What have you read? What have you seen?
Have you seen/ these pieces above?
Whaddayareckon?