Transatlantic Review: Gillian Jacobs Stars In an Addictive Casablanca-esque Drama
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The post Transatlantic Review: Gillian Jacobs Stars In an Addictive Casablanca-esque Drama appeared first on Consequence.
The Pitch: It’s 1940 in Marseilles, and while America is doing its best to stay neutral as Germany marches across Europe, there are Americans (as well as others) trying to make a little bit of a difference in the French port city.
Specifically, there’s trust fund baby Mary Jayne (Gillian Jacobs), who’s using her family’s wealth to help fund journalist Varian Fry (Cory Michael Smith)’s Emergency Rescue Committee, a group dedicated to getting refugees out of Europe, especially artists, thinkers, and anyone else with whom Hitler has a specific beef. It’s dangerous work, and arguably treasonable, but that doesn’t stop those scraping by and trying to stay free from seizing what happiness they can…
The Germans Have Outlawed Miracles: Given its setting in time and space, not to mention the frequent discussion of visas and papers, Transatlantic draws up immediate comparisons to Casablanca, one of the greatest films ever made — and while the new Netflix drama shouldn’t be anointed for that level of sainthood at this point, those comparisons are favorable ones. For what the two projects have in common, beyond the obvious, is wit, and the intelligence to remember that even when humanity is living through incredibly difficult times, we remain humans, with our own passions, fears, and problems.
The seven-episode limited series is co-created by Anna Winger, who might be most familiar to American audiences as the creator of Netflix’s Emmy-winning limited series Unorthodox, but is also behind the critically acclaimed Deutschland series. (This is important information for at least three people I know personally: Hi Jay, Bronwen, and Dad!) Deutschland 83/86/89 took a similarly microcosmic look at life during historic moments (in that series’ case, the Cold War and Iron Curtain), an approach which goes a long way towards making the drama feel relatable and relevant.
Part of what makes Transatlantic so compelling is that while the show isn’t afraid to get as dark as its circumstances require, it’s also not afraid to embrace the occasional moment of levity, from funny misunderstandings to romantic drama to even an unexpected musical number. It’s immediately easy to engage with this narrative — the baddies are clear and the good guys virtuous, even when circumstances push them towards some difficult decisions — and thanks to the breathing room provided by a seven-episode run, character relationships are allowed to deepen as the tensions get higher.
Just Another Blundering American: Production-wise, Transatlantic leans a little hard on digital landscapes at times, but otherwise the details are well-rendered, and the cinematography isn’t afraid of color. Especially eye-catching is the crumbling French villa co-opted as a headquarters for the ERC, which at times is transformed by the artists in hiding there.
Transatlantic (Netflix)
While Community and Love star Gillian Jacobs at times feels just a little too modern on screen (as the infamous tweet goes, “some people just can’t be believably cast in a period piece like sorry Jessica Biel you have a face that knows about text messaging”), she brings an edgy pluck to the character (like many featured in the series, based on a real person), especially as she finds herself getting more deeply involved with the war effort.
And Jacobs has stellar chemistry with Lucas Englander as Albert, a refugee who ends up committing to helping the ERC cause — Englander, with his leading-man-by-way-of-Michael-Shannon-esque features and raw passion, has real potential as a future star.
In addition, Cory Michael Smith (Gotham) makes a strong impression as Varian, a man committed to his cause while juggling his own secrets. Ralph Amoussou also breaks out as Paul, a hotel concierge instrumental to the refugee effort. And Corey Stoll, in his limited appearances, doesn’t exactly transform for the role of Graham, the American consul general overseeing Marseilles — but while staying fairly close to Stoll performances we’ve seen in the past, he once again brings a wry authority to his time on screen.
The Verdict: Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, a terrifying and stressful time filled with uncertainty — but even as we sheltered in place, freaking out over the slightest cough and disinfecting our groceries, we still found opportunities to laugh, create, and connect with others. We did our best to keep on living. And that’s exactly the spirit embodied by Transatlantic, which is rooted in historical fact but comes alive thanks to the powers of fiction.
“It doesn’t take much to see that the problems of three little people don’t amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world,” is Rick (Humphrey Bogart)’s famous line from Casablanca, but in some ways he’s wrong — the problems of little people, when carefully brought to the screen like this, amount to a mountain of beans in this crazy world. They make us consider how we would fare in a similar scenario, make the past feel present, and make history seem close enough to touch.
Where to Watch: Transatlantic is streaming now on Netflix.
Trailer:
Transatlantic Review: Gillian Jacobs Stars In an Addictive Casablanca-esque Drama
Liz Shannon Miller
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