The Castle

The Castle is a 1994 film directed by Aleksei Balabanov. It is the second notable screen version of Kafka’s unfinished novel The Castle. It is a sophisticated and ambiguous parable of an individual desperately trying to preserve his identity while struggling against sinister and invisible bureaucrats who rule the village from inside the titular castle. This funny, somewhat bizarre, and distinctive film won official selections to film festivals in Montreal and Rotterdam, and two national Nika Awards. The film was also noted for its original soundtrack by Sergey Kuryokhin and costumes/sets design in bruegelian style. The stars of the film include Nikolay Stotsky, Svetlana Pismichenko, and Viktor Sukhorukov.