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K
China / Hong Kong 2015
produced by Jia Zhangke, Jessica N. Liu, Justine O., Emyr ap Richard for Xstream Pictures, East Light Film
directed by Emyr Ap Richard, Darhad Erdenibulag
starring Bayaneruul (as Bayin), Jula, Yirgui, Altanochir, Zandaraa, Nomindalai, Aruna, Urinshaa, Norbu, Oyunsang, Borgil, Baatar Sregüleng, Jüdengowa, Jinba, Ayur, Agu, Altangerel, Altanshaa, Anda, Shan Bao, Batsüren, Darhad Erdenibulag, Habura, Hasbaatar, Oyun, Muhali, As, Odunbaatar, Rongbao Zhang, Senggerinchin
written by Emyr Ap Richard, based on the novel The Castle by Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka's The Castle
review by Mike Haberfelner
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K (Bayaneruul), a land surveyor, arrives at a small town in Mongolia to
start his job - but the locals are not particularly fond of outsiders and
at first want to get right rid of K by just telling him he can't stay
without permission from the Castle that rules over the village, but at the
same time he can't get to the Castle because ... a reason is never given,
but it soon turns out that K was actually hired by the Castle to do the
job - but while he's soon equipped with two assistants (Altanochir,
Zandaraa), he's never told what exactly his job is, and not only does the
Castle seem out of reach but also his direct superior Minister Klamm
(Darhad Erdenibulag) evades him, so much so that K starts an affair with
Klamm's mistress Frieda (Jula) to get his attention, but to no avail. The
townsfolks in the meantime show more and more hostility towards K, who
eventually is summoned to the Mayor (Oyunsang) who tells him outright they
have no use for a land surveyor here and he actually tried to tell the
Castle - but the document got mislaid. K gets demoted to the position of
school janitor, even if the school doesn't need a janitor, and while he
does everything to fix things, only more and more bueraucratic hurdles are
thrown into his path and things go worryingly downhill ... Even
though set in Mongolia, K is a rather verbatim adaptation of Franz
Kafka's The Castle, and the Mongolian cast and landscapes actually
fit the story rather well. That said, however great a novel The Castle
might be, the film is not without its shortcomings: Basically, the novel
is rather episodic in structure, and while this works well due to Kafka's
clever writing, some episodes just seem to lead nowhere on the screen.
Also the novel is unfinished which means K's ending is rather
unsatisfying and random. But that said, K is still a fascinating
movie that quite obviously understands its source material quite well and
manages to translate it into its completely different locations rather
beautifully - it's just not a perfect movie.
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review © by Mike Haberfelner
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