Decoding Kafka: A Cinematic Interpretation

100 Years after Kafka

In her obituary for Franz Kafka, Milena Jesenská writes, that her friend and erstwhile lover was "weak" in the way only noble and beautiful people can be. He recognized his own and others' "helplessness in advance" and his books "paint the horror of secret misunderstanding, of innocent guilt between people." Such a characterization of Kafka and his writing is a far cry from what the term "Kafkaesque" conjures up—the "surreal," the "oppressive," and "nightmare" world of bureaucratic suffocation. This is not to say Kafka's works do not evoke these anxieties, after all, there is plenty of hope…for God, just not for us mortals. These four films understand Kafka's realism and his dark and often slapstick sense of humor in the face of dread. Above all, they cure us of what "Kafkaesque" has come to mean and recognize that the eponymous adjective is truly not applicable to its namesake. As we celebrate the achievements of Kafka on the 100th anniversary of his death, the film adaptations of his work—or the spirit of his work—ought to undo the Kafkaesque reading and expose us to his nobility.

All screenings will be held at Doc Films:
1212 E 59th St, Chicago, IL 60637

Tickets can be bought at the theater 30 minutes before each screening.

Programmed by: Irena Čajková
Text by: Malynne Sternstein