Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis is a brilliant allegorical conception, rich in symbolism, which makes it both timeless and tragically topical. The author outlines the personal, familial, and social wounds inflicted by the Western, capitalist way of life on man, the absurdity of power, and the norms of discipline and punishment imposed on everything that is considered “abnormal.”
Everything in this novel is deafening and blatant. This is the “strange” story of Gregor Samsa, a young employee who wakes up one morning to find himself transformed into a beetle. Suddenly, he is unable to get out of bed and prepare for work. Initially, he faces this repulsive change as a result of the tiresome and dead-end routine he has followed for the past ten years, with no personal life to speak of. He has shouldered the financial burdens of his family while still living as a human.
Now, he is helpless and “useless” both to his family and society. He feels alone, isolated, weakened, psychosomatically hurt, and experiences rejection and abuse from those he loves. In the family “wound,” another layer is added: the rejection he faces from his family after his transformation. They are utterly repulsed by his appearance, completely disgusted by his form, and view him as a lost cause.
Human instrumentalization, lack of individual freedom, apathy, violent behavior, exploitation of the powerless by the strong, confinement, loneliness, and mental deterioration are some of the unpleasant truths that emerge from the work.
Through the metaphor, man’s attempt to free himself from the heavy burden of responsibility and escape his involuntary prison seems possible, but eventually vanishes, almost entirely wiped out. Because when one ceases to be useful and productive, one is considered waste in every sphere. And concepts like love, care, respect, empathy, and solidarity are no longer taken for granted. Everyone turns their back on anything that deviates from “regularity.”
Director Tasos Sagris immediately introduces us into the Kafkian universe with a cinematic aesthetic from the very first rhythm. The intense visuals (Alkistis Kafetzis, Kipseli Film Coop, Void Optical Art Laboratory, Miltos Arvanitakis) and the deafening music of Whodoes decisively contribute to an intense rhythm, where fear, anguish, terror, and surprise are the audience’s “ticket” to a theatrical experience lasting only 65 minutes. Heterogeneous movements coexist and communicate. Bodies, pulsating and subdued in the language of Kafka, are illuminated with precision by George Papandrikopoulos, marking their actions. It is an existential journey, with diabolical accuracy, dramaturgical intelligence, and profound knowledge that shocks and elevates the dramatization. The artistic magic is palpable, bringing out the essence of an allegorical work in a direct and condensed manner, without resorting to easy impressions.
We are also intrigued by the fact that the protagonist is female, an easy victim and prey on the altar of patriarchal and capitalist rule. A power that is distinctly imprinted behind the masks worn by the unique male oppressors in the project.
Five performances support and justify the director’s intentions in a well-structured performance from beginning to end. All five actors are austere, with no outbursts or pompous expressions, and their speech and movement are in complete harmony.
Sissy Doutsiou, in the leading role, delivers an apocalyptic performance, emitting truth, soul power, and apostolic honesty in a portrayal that conveys deep misery.
Simeon Tsakiris, with hypocritical precision, plays the hard and rigorous “Father” who kills what stands in the way of his personal “regularity” every day.
Stevi Fortoma bears, in part, the tragic burden of the “Mother” and moves with subtle grace.
Thomas Chavianidis embodies the relentless “Head” behind the façade of unscrupulous power, the absolut Manager with no trace of empathy or understanding.
Loukia Anagnou paints the “Sister,” making her an “uncomfortable” figure in the story, who too, unwittingly, submits to her fate.
Kafka aptly places the irrational element within the realism of everyday life and creates his own version of reality. He leads the characters, gradually, to complete collapse, leaving all their wounds open. We will have our own wounds. For Metamorphosis provides the ultimate hope of escape from the prison in which man has condemned himself. And the performance at the sold out, historical “PORTA” theater in Athens will haunt us for a long time.
