This thriller about refugees, riot police and stolen identities in 1940s Germany has a chilling topicality. From Christian Petzold [Barbara], the director renowned as a modern master of suspense and a poet of Germany’s divided self.
German refugee Georg has fled Paris to escape the impending war. He has assumed the identity of a famous but deceased writer and plans to use the man’s documentation to obtain a transit visa and immigrate to Mexico. But when Georg encounters the dead man’s wife in Marseille, he finds himself dangerously drawn to her.
The latest film from Christian Petzold [Barbara, Phoenix] is adapted from the 1944 novel by Anna Seghers. The result is a thrilling and unique piece of work.
In Christian Petzold’s superbly deft drama, a fugitive steals someone else’s identity with deeply disturbing results. – The Guardian ★★★★
An existential thriller about loss, trauma, statelessness and historical amnesia, the brilliant Transit is the latest from the German director Christian Petzold. – New York Times
An extraordinary film that uses the occasion of Georg’s fraught journey to depict his state of being, the anxious limbo in which he finds himself trapped. – Wall Street Journal
Germany, 2018 | Language: German | 102 minutes | Cert: 12A
Director: Christian Petzold
Cast: Franz Rogowski, Paula Beer, Godehard Giese