“Franz Kafka is a parable interpreted and realised in different ways,” said Agnieszka Holland, the grand dame of Polish cinema, whose spirited biopic of one of the most influential and enigmatic figures is making waves on the festival circuit.Echoing Kafka’s concerns about faith and doubt, the biopic seeks to separate the brand Kafka from Franz, whose prophetic depiction of a penal colony and a totalitarian future, written almost two decades before the gas chambers became a reality, has once again become relatable.Speaking to The Hindu on the sidelines of a press conference at the 50th Polish Film Festival, where Franz, Poland’s official entry for the 98th Academy Awards, is a leading contender for the top prize, Ms. Holland, 74, said the world was grappling with several wars.
‘Franz’ is Poland’s official entry for the 98th Academy Awards.
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“We are losing the common ground that we believed we had found after the Second World War. The ground that we built together. Though our trust was shaken by imperialist and totalitarian regimes, injustice, and inequality, there was still a ground that we believed was a starting point to build on. But now I am under the impression that we no longer have that ground,” she said.Reflecting on the film’s most meaningful and mysterious line, where Kafka says impatience and indifference made us lose paradise, Ms. Holland, describing the expression as the wisest in the film, echoed, “Two main sins of humanity were impatience and indifference.”Asked if the reference to paradise was politically coded in relation to the Israel-Palestine conflict, Ms. Holland, born to a Jewish father and a Catholic mother and who spent her formative years in Prague, said she identified with Kafka’s dilemmas and projected herself onto him.“Identity is a trap we glue to. There are periods when we believe that the true nature of a human being is not connected to the colour of their skin, language, or religion. But then comes a moment when the people become so lost in the wars that they start believing their own identity and reality are right, and no other reality has the right to exist or even coexist. That is a dangerous moment, and I feel we are at that point now.”
