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See also: SHADOWS FILM FESTIVAL | Last update 13.Aug.26

Franz
Review by Rich Cline | 3/5

Franz
dir Agnieszka Holland
scr Marek Epstein
prd Sarka Cimbalova, Agnieszka Holland
with Idan Weiss, Peter Kurth, Katharina Stark, Jenovefa Bokova, Sebastian Schwarz, Ivan Trojan, Sandra Korzeniak, Aaron Friesz, Carol Schuler, Gesa Schermuly, Daniel Dongres, Stepan Klan
release Cz 25.Sep.25,
US 21.Aug.26
25/Czechia 2h07

TORONTO FILM FEST

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Deploying eye-catching visuals that incorporate artful animation and effects, monochrome sequences and inventive camerawork, filmmaker Agniezka Holland crafts an ambitious biopic of legendary author Franz Kafka. The film's witty, fragmented approach and surreal flourishes keep us on our toes, and the high-quality period production design is often dazzlingly beautiful to look at. But the attempt to make him a protagonist in one of his stories feels badly strained.

In Prague, the observant, imaginative Franz (Weiss) struggles to concentrate on things he's supposed to do, which drives his blustery father Hermann (Kurth) around the bend. For clarity, Franz turns to Ottla (Stark), the closest of his three sisters. Later, his friend Max (Schwarz) sees the power of his writing and helps publish his stories, and his open-minded cousin Felice (Schuler) catches Franz's eye. But their engagement doesn't go as expected. Over the years, he finds other women who challenge him, but never marries. After his chronic tuberculosis worsens, he dies at 40 in 1924.

Fracturing this story out-of-sequence, the film only engages us in brief moments. But it's never dull. Various characters describe events and opinions straight to camera, and there are also snippets of narration from Franz's blind organist friend Oskar (Friesz). The story leaps around his life, sometimes slipping into today's Franz Kafka Museum or following walking tour guides who offer detailed asides. And occasionally, Franz himself gets lost in the present day.

Depicted as clearly somewhere on the spectrum, Weiss ably conveys Franz's curiosity and likeable innocence. Everyone sees him as a quirky genius except his perpetually disappointed father, played with nuance by Kurth. Dongres and Klan are terrific as the younger Franz. Bokova, Schuler and Shermuly have terrific presence as the women in his life, while Stark has the most sustained presence as the sharp, supportive Ottla. She reminds Franz that he asks himself questions all day, but never wants to hear the answers.

It's impossible to find a takeaway from this film, because it jumps around so much, touching on the jarring scope of early 20th century European history, literature and philosophy. But there are superb threads that explore father-son connections, romantic insecurities and the inadvertent nature of a great writer's legacy. Kafka's work is occasionally dramatised with extraordinary detail, which oddly reminds us that written words are exponentially more impactful than films. Even ones as haunting as this.

themes, language, violence, sexuality 11.Aug.26

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See also: SHADOWS FILM FESTIVAL