This series is a work of fiction inspired by real people and real events.
Marseille, France. 1940. Wealthy Chicago activist Mary Jayne Gold (Gillian Jacobs – Community, Invincible) is doing everything in her power to make sure that the US Government follows through with its promise to help as many WWII refugees as they can to get to America. Her fellow freedom fighter Varian Fry (Cory Michael Smith – Carol, Call Jane) is doing the best he can and feels like he’s not doing nearly enough, especially with a wife back in the States who wants him to return home. Their liaison at the American consul is Graham Patterson (Corey Stoll – House of Cards, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania) who seems indifferent to the plight of the refugees and is more concerned about staying as neutral as possible if only to avoid The United States from entering the war.
Things get complicated for Mary Jayne when the police bust a group of people headed for a ship that’ll take them to America, and siblings Ursula and Albert Hirschman (Morgane Ferru & Lucas Englander) are separated and in need of finding a way to meet at the border of Spain before daybreak. Things get even more complicated when an old friend of Varian’s, Thomas (Amit Rahav – Unorthodox) re-enters his life and everything that they have worked so hard for is put at risk. Luckily Albert and his new friend Lisa Fittko (Deleila Piasko) have found a way to get as many people out by the end of the year.
The three lead actors (Gillian, Cory and Lucas) all have a way about that makes you feel like they time traveled from the past to present to bring us this story. Every frame feels like a postcard from a time long forgotten yet somehow still familiar. Gillian has a lightness about her that exudes confidence. The genuine good nature and boldness of Cory’s performance wants you to root for everything he does and makes you pray that he gets a happy ending.
Inspired by The Flight Portfolio by Julie Orringer, writers Daniel Hendler and Anna Winger, who both worked on the critically acclaimed Netflix-series Unorthodox take us on this harrowing journey of a group of people trying to find a better life. A group of misfits who want nothing more than to help strangers would today be seen as heroes, but back then get brushed off as foolhardy and idealistic. Our main characters are not superheroes with abilities, but regular folks who see something they think is wrong and want to fix it. Unfortunately, if history has taught us anything, not everyone will make it out alive.
The first season of Transatlantic is now streaming on Netflix
Reviewed on Netflix, April 13, 2023. Running time: 7 episodes of 50 min.
PRODUCTION: A Netflix release of a Studio Airlift & Cactus Films production. Executive producers: Camille McCurry & Anna Winger.
CREW: Directors: Stéphanie Chuat, Véronique Reymond & Mia Maariel Meyer. Writers: Tunde Aladese, Daniel Hendler, Anna Winger, Steve Bailie, Carey McKenzie & Isabel Teitler, inspired by novel “The Flight Portfolio” by Julie Orringer. Cinematography: Sebastian Thaler & Wolfgang Thaler. Editing: Jamin Benazzouz, Barbara Gies, Gesa Jäger & Julia Kovalenko. Music: Mike Ladd & David Sztanke.
CAST: Gillian Jacobs, Lucas Englander, Cory Michael Smith, Corey Stoll, Ralph Amoussou, Deleila Piasko, Amit Rahav, Grégory Montel, Henriette Confurius & Lolita Chammah.