mt-title

Keywords

  • Arthouse
  • Made in Germany
  • Sooner Exclusives
  • literary adaptation
  • literature
  • Mental Health
  • psychology

Actors

  • Axel Prahl
  • Josef Hader
  • Devid Striesow
  • Robert Stadlober
  • Kristina Klebe

Director

  • Jochen Alexander Freydank

Drama

1h 50min

16+

Germany
2014

GERMAN

FRENCH

ENGLISH

Trailer undefined

In a psychological drama based on Franz Kafka's work, Axel Prahl portrays a man fleeing from threats he never sees—but feels.

In a psychological drama based on Franz Kafka's work, Axel Prahl portrays a man fleeing from threats he never sees—but feels.


An underground labyrinth, self-constructed yet ultimately insecure: the film transforms Franz Kafka's unfinished novella into an oppressive parable about fear, isolation, and the constant struggle against invisible threats. The protagonist, portrayed by Axel Prahl, retreats into a self-built tunnel system intended to provide protection, but which ultimately becomes a prison. With each successive scene, the atmosphere and symbolism intensify, while the boundaries between reality, delusion, and existential despair become blurred.


KAFKA'S THE BURROW was directed by Jochen Alexander Freydank, who previously won an Oscar for his short film “Spielzeugland” (Toyland). The adaptation remains faithful to the original by translating the claustrophobic mood and the narrator's obsessive self-questioning into film. Dark images, minimal dialogue, and Axel Prahl's haunting performance create a cinematic experience that goes far beyond the literary source material and leads the audience into a psychological state of emergency.


KAFKA'S THE BUILDING celebrated its world premiere in 2014 at the Busan International Film Festival in South Korea. In Germany, the film was presented at festivals such as the Hofer Filmtage, where it met with great interest. The production received international recognition when it was awarded a Platinum Remi Award at WorldFest Houston. These festival successes have established the work as an extraordinary Kafka adaptation that not only appeals to viewers interested in literature, but also convinces on a cinematic level.

Festivals

Cast & Crew