What to watch this week in Czechia: 5 Picks from The Prague Reporter

Agnieszka Holland’s Franz examines the life and legacy of Prague’s most famous resident, following key events from Franz Kafka’s personal and professional world, including his relationship with Felice Bauer and interactions with family and friends. Idan Weiss stars as Kafka, with Peter Kurth, Sebastian Schwarz, and Katharina Stark in supporting roles.

The Prague Reporter praises the film's "central portrait of the famed writer, so memorably portrayed by Idan Weiss that it is destined to become the definitive vision of Kafka for future generations." Submitted by Poland to the 2026 Academy Awards, Franz is now screening with English subtitles at Kino Světozor in Prague.

Leonardo DiCaprio stars in Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, a loose adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s Vineland that follows a washed-up revolutionary scrambling to save his daughter from an old enemy. The film blends social satire, thrilling action, and tense father-daughter drama, with supporting performances from Sean Penn, Chase Infiniti, Teyana Taylor, and Benicio Del Toro.

The Prague Reporter calls it “refreshingly original and frighteningly relevant,” praising the film’s energy and inventive adaptation of Pynchon’s work. One Battle After Another has opened worldwide to highly enthusiastic reviews, signaling it as an early favorite for next year's Academy Awards.

One of the most talked-about films from this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Sirât follows a father and son as they traverse Morocco’s deserts in search of a missing daughter, joining a group of ravers along the way. Director Oliver Laxe combines striking desert landscapes, intense techno music, and tense, unpredictable sequences to create a visually and emotionally immersive experience.

The Prague Reporter calls it “a real stunner […] a rare film that is as much of an experience as it is a movie, and demands to be seen on the biggest and loudest screen possible to let its explosive impact fully wash over you.” Sirât is now screening with English subtitles at Kino Světozor, Kino Aero, and Edison Filmhub in Prague.

Filmed in and around Bratislava, The Strangers: Chapter 2 follows Maya (Madelaine Petsch) as she navigates a deadly cat-and-mouse game with masked killers after the murder of her boyfriend. Picking up directly after the events of the first film, the sequel expands the horror into the surrounding rural backwoods.

Director Renny Harlin introduces new narrative layers with flashbacks and glimpses into the Strangers’ backstory. "Despite general competence on the filmmaking level and some well-crafted set pieces," writes The Prague Reporter, "The Strangers: Chapter 2 collapses under the weight of some laughably bad narrative choices."

One of the year’s most talked-about new series, House of Guinness follows the rise and struggles of Dublin’s powerful Guinness family in 1868, blending historical intrigue with the ruthless dynamics of a corporate dynasty. James Norton leads as the mercurial Sean Rafferty, whose scheming and charisma dominate the factory floor, while the next generation of Guinness heirs navigates privilege, ambition, and personal secrets.

The Guardian calls it “a fine drama from Peaky Blinders’ Steven Knight [that] is an irresistible romp – like Succession, only over a booze empire.” The eight-episode series, which has received rave reviews, is now streaming in full on Netflix.