A self-professed admirer of the Czech writer since her early years, Agnieszka Holland’s ambitious biopic manages to combine a straightforward account of Kafka’s life with a number of stylistic flourishes that paint him on a much larger canvas, separating the man from the industry that now exists around his name. As portrayed by Idan Weiss (and the likeness is at times uncanny), Kafka is a sensitive young man, introverted and though out of step with the world around him, not above its temptations; as portrayed by Holland, he is a colossus, unique in the canon and a writer whose work deserves better than to be fodder for pop culture references and memes.

Notes by Kevin Coyne.

Screening as part of IFI Kinopolis Polish Film Festival 2025.