The Karamazov Brothers (2008)

Dostoevsky's epic novel exploring a family of siblings and their father is a cornerstone of world literature, grappling with fundamental questions of morality and faith: Does God exist? Is there a devil? And in a world without moral boundaries, are all things permissible? Even the question of whether patricide can be considered a crime arises. Czech director Petr Zelenka's adaptation, *The Karamazovs*, follows a group of actors from Prague as they travel to Krakow, Poland, to stage the play in a decaying steelworks for the Closer to Life Festival. The project seems cursed from the outset. Upon arrival, the building is structurally unsound, forcing the actors to wear helmets. Their only regular audience member is a factory worker (Andrzej Mastalerz) who observes rehearsals rather than attending to his seven-year-old son, who is grieving a tragic accident at the factory.