Agnieszka Holland has been making films about Central European history for decades, and Franz is her run at Kafka: 127 minutes assembled as a mosaic rather than a life story, moving from nineteenth-century Prague to Vienna after the First World War. Idan Weiss plays him, with Sebastian Schwarz as Max Brod and Jenovéfa Boková as Milena Jesenská. If you read Kafka in your twenties and never quite shook him, this is your matinee.
What to expect
A subtitled 127-minute feature at Film at Lincoln Center's Lincoln Square houses, screening several times across the day so one full house is not the end of it. The film moves between periods and registers rather than marching through a biography, and it plays mostly in Czech with English subtitles. Expect a crowd that came for Holland as much as for Kafka.
Good to know
- Film at Lincoln Center sits on West 65th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam; the 1 train to 66th Street–Lincoln Center puts you at the door.
- The film is subtitled and runs a little over two hours with no interval.
- Several screenings run across the day, so a full house at one of them isn't the end of it.
- Buy ahead on filmlinc.org — opening weekend for a festival title fills the smaller houses fast.
- Ask the box office about accessible seating and assistive listening when you book.
- It's a good rainy-afternoon option, with the Lincoln Center plaza two minutes away if the weather turns.
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Common questions
What is Franz about?
It's Agnieszka Holland's film about Franz Kafka, built as a mosaic of his life from nineteenth-century Prague to his final years around Vienna. Idan Weiss plays Kafka; it runs 127 minutes, mostly in Czech with English subtitles.
Are there other showtimes?
Yes. Film at Lincoln Center lists screenings at 12:30 pm, 3:15 pm, 6:00 pm and 8:45 pm across the opening run.
How much are tickets?
Film at Lincoln Center's own page was not reachable when we checked, so go to filmlinc.org for current pricing and to confirm which of its theaters the screening is in.
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