Franz Kafka (1992) User Reviews

An amazing work of art...

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 31 August 2009]

If you are looking for a fun cartoon, keep looking! FRANZ KAFKA (himself, not a particularly funny guy) is an art film...period. It makes no attempt to tell a traditional narrative and really doesn't tell Kafka's life either. Instead, it's the framework for some amazing artwork by Piotr Dumala. But, like most works of art, describing it really doesn't do it justice--you really need to see it yourself. However, I'll try to describe it a bit.

The film consists of black and white images that appear scratched or cross-hatched on the screen. It's very, very dark and brooding throughout and loudly seems to yell "Depression!!". What exactly happens in Kafka's life is episodic and occasionally filled with rather explicit nudity but since this is the artist's vision it can be seen as necessary.

Will the film shock or depress you? Probably. But, if you like artsy-fartsy animation, then this is for you!!

Beautifully made, but where's the story?

[Rodrigo_Amaro · 6/10 · 27 March 2011]

The environment and some characteristics of writer Franz Kafka's works are present in this well-made animation directed by Piotr Dumala, entitled "Franz Kafka". In its 16 minutes, Dumala delivers a surrealistic view on Kafka in a story that doesn't tell us about his life, but perhaps it tells something about his inspirations, an exquisite and confused picture with no storyline, barely has a narrative or a meaning.

What makes this animated film interesting is the animation itself, just as dark and shadowy like Kafka's writings, in a black and white cinematography along with a melancholic music; some references of "The Metamorphosis" (there's a few bugs in the story that seem to attract Franz), and, of course, the visual figure of Franz, very look-a-like to the real Kafka, pictures of him can be found in books and on the internet. But the animated Kafka was very real and I loved it.

The experience is very hard to describe, you really must see it for yourself. I can't pick one scene or other and make a detailed account of it without sounding like a confused person who doesn't know how to write, or without any point, anything meaningful to say. I really don't know what to say about the story because there is none, everything moves and happens with Kafka, in absurd ways that keeps one guessing why such things happened (okay, one scene ahead: at the ending he's transformed into an animal, out of nowhere).

It's nice to see, a little bit sleepy at parts even with its short running time, visually impressive but it lacks of a story or something more than just paying an homage to one of the greatest writers of all time. 6/10

Fitting, but unaesthetic

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 27 July 2016]

"Franz Kafka" is a Polish 16-minute short film from 1992 and it was written and directed by Piotr Dumala. It has its 25th anniversary next year and some awards bodies clearly loved it. I did not though. I think that in terms of style and atmosphere it fits Kafka and his somewhat dark tales, but for the audience, I thought this one here was a really unappealing watch. Also it is pretty brave to go for a biopic that runs for clearly under 20 minutes. If you like black-and-white animated films with dark tone and atmosphere, then this one here may exactly your preferred choice. I personally did not see the appeal though and I would recommend the watch only to huge Kafka fans. I will check out some more works by Dumala soon and I hope these are superior. This one here gets a thumbs-down.