Kafkas Der Bau (2014)

The film transposes Franz Kafka’s story of the same name to a 21st-century metropolis. Unlike in the story, the protagonist is not an animal but Franz, an office worker who moves with his wife and two children into a fortress-like residential complex that corresponds to the badger’s burrow in the story. An increasing need for security and quiet leads him to fortify the apartment against intruders and imaginary enemies. In lengthy monologues, he observes and reflects on his efforts. His constant companion is a handheld camera. As his wife leaves him with the children and he loses his job, the dwelling Franz calls his burrow gradually falls into disrepair. The entire neighborhood, and eventually the whole city, deteriorates and becomes deserted. The film ends in a visually striking post-apocalyptic world, where the homeless and exhausted Franz sees himself as an old, wise builder and—echoing the story word for word—observes: “But everything remained unchanged.”