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Movies and TvShows featuring "kafka-esque" theme.

Naked Lunch
Movie

Naked Lunch(1991)

6.9
tomato72%
R
115Minutes

Based on the novel by William S. Burroughs, a writer becomes embroiled in a strange and surreal world after getting involved with illegal drugs. He begins to experience bizarre hallucinations and encounters talking insects, giant centipedes, and a mysterious typewriter. As his addiction and paranoia grow, he finds himself caught in a web of conspiracy and psychological disintegration.

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The Castle
Movie

The Castle(1997)

6.5
130Minutes

In 'The Castle,' a land-surveyor travels to a remote village to assist in the construction of a castle. However, the bureaucracy and enigmatic nature of the locals make his job difficult. As he falls in love with a barmaid, he navigates the complexities of the village's strange customs and traditions. Based on the book, this Kafka-esque drama is filled with mystery and allegory.

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Within
Movie

Within(2005)

5
R
93Minutes

Brad, Christina, T.K. and Kelly are on a post-graduation trip to Europe. Unfortunately, what starts out as a dream quickly spirals into a nightmare. Upon entering a 14th century castle, the friends find themselves trapped in a horrifying alternate realm where violent hallucinations overtake them. A stranger emerges, shocking them with the reality of their terrifying fate; one must stay behind - alone forever within the torturous stone walls, in order for the rest of the group to escape. As time runs out, hope and reason disappear, anarchy takes over and extreme violence erupts. Will it be male strength or female guile that will ultimately determine who will bear the terrible fate?

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Blue Mountains, or Unbelievable Story
Movie

Blue Mountains, or Unbelievable Story(1983)

8.6
97Minutes

Blue Mountains, or Unbelievable Story (1983) is a comedy-drama film set in the Caucasus region of Georgia, during the time of communism. The story revolves around a man who finds himself caught in a web of absurd situations, including being trapped in an elevator, witnessing a crack in the wall, and experiencing a collapse of his house roof. As he navigates through these bizarre events, he encounters various eccentric characters like a secretary, a bureaucrat, a mining engineer, and a publisher. The film is a satirical commentary on the absurdities of the bureaucratic system and the struggles faced by individuals in a communist regime.

Snakes and Ladders
Movie

Snakes and Ladders(1980)

7
31Minutes

A man awakens to find himself immersed in a real-life scenario of a board game with an ever expanding cartography.

The Penal Colony
Movie

The Penal Colony(1970)

6.2
67Minutes

A foreign journalist arrives on a small Pacific island 200 miles off the coast of South America. Once a leper colony, the island was later transformed into a prison and then, under U.N. mandate, made into an independent republic. Yet despite democratic structures, the inhabitants--who speak a strange dialect composed of Spanish and English--still obey the old prison rules. After sending back detailed accounts of the torture and repression seen everywhere, the journalist realizes that she has fallen into the trap created for her by the islanders: lacking natural resources, the island's main export is news.

Joseph Kilian
Movie

Joseph Kilian(1963)

7.2
38Minutes

Joseph Kilian is a dark comedy set in Prague during a totalitarian regime. The story follows a man's obsessive search for a cat, which leads to unexpected encounters and surreal situations. This Kafka-esque allegory explores themes of identity, freedom, and the absurdity of bureaucracy.

Beyond the Seventh Door
Movie

Beyond the Seventh Door(1987)

4.7
83Minutes

Boris, an ex-con thief, is persuaded by his girlfriend to pull one last heist, breaking into her paraplegic, millionaire boss' sprawling, castle-like mansion. But once inside, they become trapped in a maze-like series of escape rooms which must be solved in order to stay alive.

The Trap Door
Movie

The Trap Door(1980)

6.2
NR
70Minutes

A Nietzschian parable on the fate of innocence, THE TRAP DOOR follows the mishaps of Jeremy (John Ahearn) as he is fired by his boss (Jenny Holzer), gets laughed out of court by Judge Gary Indiana, loses his girlfriend to sleazy Richard Prince, is hustled by prospective employer (Bill Rice) and mauled by predatory bird-women. Finally, he seeks the help of a shrink (the legendary Jack Smith) who turns out to be the most demented of all.

Journey to Portugal
Movie

Journey to Portugal(2011)

6.7
NR
75Minutes

Maria, a Ukrainian doctor, comes to Portugal to spend a year with Greco, her husband who is also a doctor. Upon arrival at Faro airport she is the only person from Kiev approached by agents of Immigration and Customs that lead her to a room of interrogation, without any explanations. All this occurs because the authorities suspect that something illegal should be behind her trip, since she is from Eastern Europe and her husband is Senegalese.

The Outpost
Movie

The Outpost(1995)

7
82Minutes

Gizella Weisz is an middle-aged office worker, who gets a promotion one day. Her boss told her that a new outpost is waiting for her. There she would be heading a new section. She travels from place to another and finally arrives at her new outpost. It is a remote shed, where a half-insane co-worker is waiting for her. It is obvious that Weisz has not been promoted, but punished. However Weisz does not realize that herself. Without questioning she just accepts her promotion.

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Still World
Movie

Still World(2005)

7.2
30Minutes

Photofilm about a journalist of a local newspaper who feels his life has come to a standstill, until he discovers a conspiracy of mediocrity...

Kill by Inches
Movie

Kill by Inches(1999)

5.4
tomato50%
80Minutes

An anxious young tailor dominated by his father, a master of the craft, is eager to do well with his clients; but his inadequacy in measuring leaves him frustrated and humiliated. His younger sister - an expert seamstress - arrives back in town, discovers his measuring weakness and begins a cruel reign of terror over him, humiliating him endlessly in front of customers. Pushed to the edge, the young tailor heads down the nightmarish road to insanity and murder.

Flush Memoria
Movie

Flush Memoria(2015)

20Minutes

A film exploring a Kafkaesque setting where spy is played against spy.

Discover a curated list of movies and TV shows that capture the essence of the "Kafka esque" theme. Immerse yourself in the surreal and absurd world of Kafka with these captivating narratives filled with existentialism, bureaucracy, and the exploration of human nature.

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