Christian Petzold's 'Transit' explores the loneliness of refugees in a terrifying France
Early on in "Transit," the quietly extraordinary new movie from German writer-director Christian Petzold, a man named Georg (Franz Rogowski) arrives at a hotel to deliver two letters, only to discover that their intended recipient has slashed his wrists. Paris is crumbling as German forces march into the city, a waking nightmare that may explain why Weidel, a famous anti-fascist writer, has taken his own life.
Upon arrival, Weidel had asked to stay (and, it seems, to die) in the room he once shared with his wife, a request a hotel worker granted.
"When it comes down to love," she tells Georg, "I just melt."
It's a poignant throwaway line that, nonetheless, speaks
