"Franz Kafka's A Country Doctor" is a short anime adaptation of Franz Kafka's 1919 short story of the same name. The narrative unfolds as a rural doctor is summoned on a stormy winter night to attend to a gravely ill boy in a distant village. Despite the urgency, the doctor faces a series of surreal and increasingly absurd obstacles. His horse has died, leaving him stranded, but a mysterious groom appears with two powerful horses, enabling the journey. However, the groom’s unsettling behavior and implied violence toward the doctor’s maid, Rosa, create a sense of unease. Upon arriving at the patient’s home, the doctor examines the boy and finds a severe wound infested with worms. The boy’s family and villagers pressure the doctor to cure him, but the situation spirals into chaos. The boy himself expresses a desire to die, further complicating the doctor’s moral and professional dilemma. The doctor’s attempts to treat the boy are met with resistance and confusion, and he becomes increasingly alienated from his surroundings. The narrative blurs the line between reality and hallucination, with the doctor experiencing disorienting shifts in time and space. The doctor’s internal conflict and the oppressive atmosphere of the village highlight themes of helplessness, existential dread, and the futility of human effort. The story concludes ambiguously, with the doctor reflecting on his inability to fulfill his duties and the inevitability of failure. The characters, including the doctor, the boy, the groom, and Rosa, are not deeply explored but serve as vessels for the story’s exploration of isolation and despair. The anime captures Kafka’s signature style of absurdity and existential unease, presenting a haunting and thought-provoking narrative.