In Transit Review (EIFF 2025)
Alex Sarrigeorgiou understands intimacy. The actress and writer is very much the backbone of In Transit and captures attachment in its most romanticised form: fleeting. It’s a film that explores such timely themes. Existentialism, artistic expression and vulnerability, all through a uniquely female lens. Although against the backdrop of a small town in Maine, In Transit isn’t one of those cosy suburban “feel-goods”. It’s raw, painful, and distinctive drama.
Echoing the likes of Call Me by Your Name and Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Sarrigeorgiou inserts us into the life of Lucy, a local bartender. Lucy’s life changes when Ilse (Jennifer Ehle), a painter, asks her to pose. Like Ilse’s artwork, the relationship between artist and muse exposes their shared fragility, emotional complexity and existential plights. The brief yet significant bond between Lucy and Ilse leaves them both changed, and the navigation of their newfound shared existence makes for compelling cinema.
Directed by Jaclyn Bethany, In Transit is a tour de force of visual creativity. Wide angles and long shots serve as metaphors for the isolated relationship that anchors the film. The space between Lucy and Ilse often speaks louder than their dialogue. Positioned with careful consideration, the audience is not to watch but to witness. Everything feels intentional. It’s that attention to detail that separates the film from its contemporaries. Other films traverse the same ideas, but not with the same poetic precision as Bethany, Sarrigeorgiou and cinematographer Sam Tetro.
WATCH OUR EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH STAR/CO-WRITER ALEX SARRIGEORGIOU
AND DIRECTOR JACLYN BETHANY HERE
Various set pieces across a tight 85-minute runtime exemplify this. Hushed conversations take place under a streetlight, serving as a secretive, liberating stage. A delicate encounter in Ilse’s studio provides the same shelter, fusing the women without fear of intrusion. Sarrigeorgiou’s script reflects the battles of her audience. It’s firmly grounded, brilliantly intuitive and painfully realistic. In Transit poses the same questions we often ask ourselves.
How much do others’ perceptions define us? Does love rely upon presence or permanence? And what does it mean to truly be seen? It may not be the film’s responsibility to answer those questions, but those behind In Transit balance on the tightrope of entertainment and confrontation.
The film does wrap itself a little too tightly at times. With a symbolic focus, the fluffier narrative moments do feel dragged down. The film centres itself on its two main characters a little too much. Likely intentional, but it risks the narrowing of every surrounding facet. It’s a tricky thing to balance, but generously fleshing out supporting characters may have solved the film’s few problems.
But being overly critical is futile. In Transit is a poignant, moving film that encapsulates Sarrigeorgiou’s intellect. Bethany is a director more than qualified for the job, and Tetro weaves the film together with flair and accuracy. The film lingers much like a painting. Art may not always fulfil the artist. A relationship may not always satisfy those longing for it. But both exist and serve to cradle our deepest desires.
Playing as part of the 2025 Edinburgh Film Festival on August 17th, 18th, and 19th / Alex Sarrigeorgiou, Jennifer Ehle, Francois Arnaud / Dir: Jaclyn Bethany
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