Plot summary

Free adaptation of Anna Seghers' novel of the same name (1944) about the fate of refugees from the Nazi regime who hope for passage overseas by ship in Marseille before the Germans invade the city. Director Christian Petzold plays with the time periods in a subtle way by setting the adaptation in the 1940s in terms of dialogue and plot, but using contemporary costumes and locations. The story about a young German who assumes the identity of a dead writer in order to be able to use his transit visa and falls in love with his wife while waiting in Marseille thus develops a variety of references: To Seghers' text, to the work of Christian Petzold, whose motifs are reflected in the material, and to the current situation in Europe in times of the refugee crisis.