Created by: Anna Winger & Daniel Hendler
Genre: Drama
Cast: Gillian Jacobs,Cory Michael Smith, Lucas Englander, Amit Rahav, Ralph Amoussou, Deleila Piasko
Duration: 7 episodes, 46-56 minutes
Now streaming on Netflix
Set in the 1940s, Transatlantic is about the work The Emergency Rescue Committee did to provide safe passage for Jewish writers, philosophers, artists and other anti-Nazi people who were facing the threat of imprisonment. The limited series almost follows the premise of Julie Orringer’s 2019 novel, The Flight Portfolio. I say almost because there are significant changes in the book. For starters, our protagonist is not Varian Fry (Smith), the American journalist who is said to have put the committee together. Instead, he shares the protagonist role with Mary Jayne Gold (Jacobs), who is not looking forward to returning to America and the socialite life she would be living. They work together to provide refuge for the persecuted, even if it means working as a spy to achieve it.
Before watching the series, I was concerned about Jacobs featuring in a show with such a sombre theme. Her most famous acting role is as Britta in the sitcom, Community, after all. However, she brings a light-heartedness to the show that makes it a little easier to keep watching. The show starts off a little slow but builds up with every episode. If you have read about or seen films featuring some of the real people who are portrayed by their actual names, that will not kill the sense of suspense of what’s coming next. The beautiful scenery and happy scenes may seem out of place in such a story but they show that difficult times do co-exist with light moments.
That said, the show has received backlash for Fry’s portrayal as a gay man, with the uproar deeming it as Netflix’s desire to be ‘woke’. The book received the same backlash, and Fry’s son wrote a letter indicating that there might have been some truth to it. Whatever the case, the show’s story is bigger than this.
–Grace Kenganzi
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