''Transit'' is a 1980 Israeli

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Daniel Wachsmann Daniel Wachsmann (; born 1946) is an Israeli filmmaker, writer, producer and director, best known for his critically acclaimed film "''Hamsin (film), Khamsin''". Biography Daniel Wachsmann was born in 1946 in Shanghai, Republic of China, to Jewish ...

. It was entered into the

30th Berlin International Film Festival The 30th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 18–29 February 1980. The Golden Bear was jointly awarded to '' Heartland'', directed by Richard Pearce, and '' Palermo or Wolfsburg'', directed by Werner Schroeter. The retros ...

. This is Daniel Wachsmann's first full-length film, which he co-wrote with Danny Horowitz. It is also the first film to be produced with the support of the Israeli Film Fund. The plot follows a Jewish man who escapes

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

and, after passing through Italy and Shanghai, arrives in Israel. However, he struggles to adapt and views Israel as another temporary place, similar to his previous experiences, rather than a true homeland. The story is set in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

after the

Six-Day War The Six-Day War, also known as the June War, 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states, primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, Syria, and Jordan from 5 to 10June ...

. The film was screened at various prestigious festivals, including the

Berlin Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of Europ ...

Toronto Film Festival Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Cape Town Film Festival,

Filmex The Los Angeles International Film Exposition, also called Filmex, was an annual Los Angeles film festival held in the 1970s and early 1980s. It was co-founded by Gary Essert, George Cukor and Philip Chamberlin in 1970. In 1976, Alfred Hitchco ...

in Los Angeles, and the

Sydney Film Festival The Sydney Film Festival is an annual competitive film festival held in Sydney, Australia, usually over 12 days in June. A number of awards are given, the top one being the Sydney Film Prize. , the festival's director is Nashen Moodley. Histo ...

in 1980.

Plot

The film is partially narrated by the main character's son, who reflects on his father after he has left. Erich Nosbaum (Gedalia Besser) is a lonely Jew who has spent his life in transit stations. He was expelled from Germany, where he worked at a museum in Berlin, then moved through Italy to Shanghai before finally arriving in Israel. He marries Yael (Laura Rivlin), an Israeli woman much younger than him, and they have a son, Michael (Yair Elazar). However, the marriage doesn't last, and they divorce, with Michael moving to live with his mother. Erich struggles financially, running an antique shop, and constantly plans to return to Berlin, where the museum that had previously fired him offered him a job. He is unable to adapt to life and culture in Israel and plans to take Michael and his ex-wife with him. His friend from Berlin, Willy (Gideon Singer), who was also a refugee, tries to convince him to stay in Israel, but without success. Erich speaks Hebrew, but his two sisters, Lila (Ruth Geller) and Gerti (Luna Badian), only speak German. Erich lives in an apartment with a key-money lease. The landlady, Vera (Fanny Lobyts), moves to a nursing home in Pardes Hanna, and her son, Emmanuel (Aharon Maskin), wants to demolish the building. Erich is the last tenant left. He refuses to vacate despite pressure and threats from Emmanuel, who is willing to pay him more than the appraiser's evaluation. Eventually, Erich leaves the apartment and rents a room in a cheap hotel managed by Flora (Jetta Luca). He meets various fringe characters, such as Diskin (Yitzhak Fitcho Ben-Tzur) and Nissim (Motti Shirin). Diskin is involved in shady loans and owes money to a criminal (Mohammad Bakri), who sends his people to beat him up. Erich buys a plane ticket to Berlin but hesitates to fly there and likely remains in Israel—an outsider, lonely, and rootless throughout his life.

Cast

References

External links

* 1980 films 1980 drama films 1980s Hebrew-language films Films directed by Daniel Wachsmann Israeli drama films {{Israel-film-stub