| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Franz Rogowski | ... | Georg | |
| Paula Beer | ... | Marie | |
| Godehard Giese | ... | Richard | |
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Lilien Batman | ... | Driss |
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Maryam Zaree | ... | Melissa |
| Barbara Auer | ... | Architect / Frau | |
| Matthias Brandt | ... | Barmann / Erzähler | |
| Sebastian Hülk | ... | Paul | |
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Emilie de Preissac | ||
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Antoine Oppenheim | ... | Binnet |
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Louison Tresallet | ... | Jean Binnet |
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Justus von Dohnányi | ... | Conductor |
| Alex Brendemühl | ... | Mexican Consul | |
| Trystan Pütter | ... | American Consul | |
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Ronald Kukulies | ||
When a man flees France after the Nazi invasion, he assumes the identity of a dead author whose papers he possesses. Stuck in Marseilles, he meets a young woman desperate to find her missing husband - the very man he's impersonating.
A new regime is cracking down on immigrants, hard. Georg is not an immigrant, so he is not worried. This is until immigrants are lumped together with those the regime doesn't like. Random people are arrested and herded into buildings. Later there are traces of blood. "Order must be maintained," it is said. Now even Georg is scared. He assumes another man's identity and flees. Along the way he is bound to meet Marie, the wife of the man whose identity Georg just took. When he falls for Marie, Georg is in a real bind. Marie can't leave without her husband, Georg can't leave without Marie, and, of course, horror upon horrors, a man can't reveal his true identity nor tell the truth that he is a scoundrel to the woman he loves! Or can he?!
Transit deftly and artfully turns the tables and provides fresh perspectives on a number of compelling subjects. To begin with, it combines present and past, specifically World War II, so that it is unclear which is which. On the immigration issue, Germans are beholden to the Mexican government for transit passports. Regarding the relations between men and women, a man has to admit he is wrong before he can escape severe harm and/or death. We all know how that turns out, LOL! These are just some of the juicy themes of Transit. It is delightfully deep and could leave you mulling things over long after the film ending, as in my case, about the various meanings and connections to the world and yourself.
Such a hell as an ethnic cleansing, which looms in the background of Transit but without the graphic details, can happen anytime and anywhere. I know this is true, for just recently I viewed the bullet scared and burnt remains of homes in Croatia that used to belong to friendly neighbors.
Transit is a little disorganized and the police round-ups are awkward and unrealistic, but the film really is alluring and mind-bending as a whole. It also improves with time. From reading a bad review, I was expecting something different. Transit is based on a novel by Anna Seghers. Seen at the Toronto international film festival.