Transit

101 minutes

German
France
French Sign Langauge

Germany
France

As fascism spreads, German refugee Georg (Franz Rogowski) flees to Marseille and assumes the identity of the dead writer whose transit papers he is carrying. Living among refugees from around the world, Georg falls for Marie (Paula Beer), a mysterious woman searching for her husband—the man whose identity he has stolen. Adapted from Anna Segher’s 1944 novel, TRANSIT shifts the original story to the present, blurring periods to create a timeless exploration of the plight of displaced people.

starring...

Franz Rogowski

Georg

Paula Beer

Marie

Godehard Giese

Richard

Lilien Batman

Driss

Maryam Zaree

Melissa

Director

Christian Petzold

Writer

Christian Petzold, Anna Seghers (novel)

Cinematographer

Hans Fromm

Music

Stefan Will

Editing

Bettina Böhler

Producer

Antonin Dedet, Florian Koerner von Gustorf

Production Design

Kade Gruber

Set Decoration

Aurelie Combe

Costume Design

Katharina Ost

75% on the CINEMETER

ATL

79% - Mar 10, 2019

OMG this film caught me in its tangled web & I was glad to stay.
Atlanta Member

Beautiful film. Timeless film. Plus the Talking Heads? Perfect.
Atlanta Member

Riveting and mesmerizing!
Atlanta Member

Wonderful dissertation on dislocation & unknowingness the vague, ambiguity brought by total uncertainty, which refugees and others sadly lack.
Atlanta Member

So, despite brief glimpse of hope of love, Georg was after all, waiting to register for hell.
Atlanta Member

This certain succeeds in keeping us (me anyway) in constant anxiety. Powerful- As with STYX, we emotionally confront the refugee crisis--if only such STORIES could alter the way the world works. Past, present, future. The waiting--like Weidels last story--is hell. They are in hell.
Atlanta Member

79% - Mar 17, 2019

Brilliant, complex, haunting. Loved the mix of 1940's and present time - makes it so relevant to today's refugee crises.
San Francisco Member

A richly-realized maze of characters, narratives and realities. The film constantly keeps you off-balance, but its construction is careful and meticulous, a hall of mirrors only Petzold knows the way out of. Kafka would be proud.
San Francisco Member

Quietly absorbing and gripping - anything could happen at any time. A totally engaging story - complicated but possible to follow and fascinating.
San Francisco Member

A timeless piece which I enjoyed very much as a great story. The phantasmagoric quality was enchanting.
San Francisco Member

STL

76% - Feb 17, 2019

After some thought, I appreciated this film as a vivid portrayal of the sad and painful experience of people rejected by society as they struggle with constant threat and difficulty communicating with or trusting anyone.
St. Louis Member

Wow. Totally blown away by the twists and turns!
St. Louis Member

Solid film. Best seen twice, The first time to try to follow the plot twists; the second, to figure out the true meaning of the film and to appreciate its outstanding cinematography. The latter uses lighting SO effectively in emoting various feeling from the audience, i.e. fear, sadness, despair. For me, the film is an allegory of refugees' journeys in any time period. Refugees are desperate, hopeless, complex, hungry, and sacrificial. The Nazis treatment of them is notorious. They were cruel. Look at OUR treatment of refugees today. We are cruel, too. The film asks us to look at this truth.
St. Louis Member

This was an interesting study of refugees/immigrants who are "anonymous" because they have no "papers" of belonging to anywhere permanent. The title "Transit" was very telling in a convoluted way: 1) as a conveyance (train, motor vehicles, ships), 2) transit papers needed for voyages away and 3) the characters are all in "transit." The fear and persecution emotions were well presented. I liked this film as an example of how desperate strangers interact with other desperate strangers.
St. Louis Member

"Who forgets first? The one who leaves or the one who is left behind?" I think whichever side of this you fall on would determine how you liked the movie. Also, it was interesting how all of the characters experienced both leaving and being left behind.
St. Louis Member

66% - Feb 24, 2019

Great - completely captured me. Like a dream after going to an art museum and reading Camus/O. Henry mixed. It felt as real as a dream before you distance yourself from it. The blurring of eras - the beauty of the scenes, the shots, views from windows, views into windows, doors. The conductor dying. The woman with the dogs - like a dream. The O.Henry ending. The ‘No Exit’/Hell is this. The narrator took me into the plot as I were lost in a story.
Greater New Haven Member

I was hooked in the first minute. This was a great movie, with twists and turns, although I guessed that Georg was going to give the documents to the doctor. Loved the timeless feeling of it, floating. Great acting. Beautiful cinematography. Loved the way lines of dialogue would reappear. Wow!
Greater New Haven Member

The exchange of identities and the amorphousness of the characters highlighted the journeys of the ‘others,’ especially those actively resisting fascism. There is no home for anyone. Could be then. Could be now.
Greater New Haven Member

Astounding! Every emotion touched me. An historical gift. The characters interact in a dreamlike state, their inner thoughts hidden in order to survive.
Greater New Haven Member

Wonderful film! Didn’t want it to end. It won’t - in my mind.
Greater New Haven Member

Provocative, resonant, and rich. [Moderator note: several comments mentioned that the film is provocative]
Greater New Haven Member

Brilliant! Timeless in its story.
Greater New Haven Member

The title of the film says it all. There is no resting point and Georg is struggling to adopt a true self. In matters of the heart, there is no geographic boundary that can contain a person.
Greater New Haven Member

Great movie. Very engaging. Perfect choice of song for the closing titles!
Greater New Haven Member

Loved that we get to create our own ending.
Greater New Haven Member

I loved the aspect of storytelling, as discussed after the film.
Greater New Haven Member

One of my favorite films so far this and last season. Thank you, Cinema Club!
Greater New Haven Member

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