EXODUS: The Uncertainties of Transitions and Human Relationships
by Varsha Murali Kaushik
Courtesy of EXODUS
As I watch EXODUS (2025) on a cold, rainy day stuck between winter and spring, there are only two things I can focus on: First, the fact that the film highlights the nuances of human existence that I’ve always found challenging—uncertainty and transitions, and second, a lyric from “SDL,” a song from Agust D’s studio album D-Day (2023), that goes “인간관계란 정말 어려워 역시” which translates to “Human relationships are really difficult, as expected.”
Focusing on the life of two women post-incarceration, the documentary short film delivers a raw, compelling showcase of Trinity Copeland and Assia Serrano’s stories, experiences, and struggles after they get out of prison and return to their “normal” world. Reacclimating to society after spending so many years of their life locked away, with the intent to acknowledge and repent their “mistakes,” proves to be a multi-layered, intersectional challenge.
To focus on the key themes in the film, aside from the empathy, support, and understanding of the resilience of these women, I must touch on the nuances of addressing the issues of uncertainty and transitions. Assia and Trinity both recognize that access to “freedom” comes with its own set of restrictions that do not make it universal or convenient—at least not as much as they would like it to be. Assia leaves prison only to be deported from the United States to Panama, far away from her family and children; Trinity struggles to situate herself in society again, grappling with disbelief over the fact that she can now lead a life outside prison and follow her dreams and aspirations. Making the film black and white is a powerful artistic choice that emphasizes the reality of restarting their lives. The lack of color adds a raw, unrestrained element that lets us focus on the stories rather than the visuals.
Contrary to popular belief, our world does revolve around ourselves, which is to say that everything that happens (or doesn’t happen) is primarily centred around, directed by, and heavily affects us first and those around us, next. It also means that while the world moves on, we can remain stuck in a particular moment, frozen until (if) the person manages to interact with the world again, wherein it changes and continues on in a similar cycle. This leads to all kinds of challenges for Trinity. The colour of currency notes changed, a fast food chain now provides table service rather than counter pick-up, and a non-descript bus passes her at a red light—these are things so thoroughly entrenched in our daily routines that we take them for granted. For Trinity, however, not only are these things novel and intriguing, but they are also signs of a world that has continued spinning while she spent years in prison. For Assia, the world she returns to is an uncertain one: she has no idea when she can meet her children again, if she will get to see her mother before her cancer takes her away, or if she will ever reunite with her family and lead the kind of life she wants. As she looks for a sense of belonging and community, she finds a semblance of it at her local church, embracing hope even in the darker times of her life.
Courtesy of EXODUS
The film also offers an extremely relatable intersectional reading of human relationships. Like Agust D’s words, “Human relationships are really difficult, as expected,” this documentary is also an indirect commentary on how humans interact and engage with each other. While we get a brief glimpse into Trinity and Assia’s relationships with other people, we only see them unfold in the time and space of the film. Trinity, for example, was angry and upset with her mother for not being supportive while she needed her most, and Assia was encouraging of her children yet felt guilty that she wouldn’t be there for them in person. We also learn why these two women did what they did—Trinity looks back on killing her alcoholic father and understands his headspace and mental health issues now. Assia, on the other hand, looks back on her husband’s role in abetting her crime and wistfully concludes that if she could go back in time, she would probably not commit the crime at all.
Trinity and Assia’s struggles with getting used to life outside prison are very much a reflection of how difficult it is to navigate human society. In portraying their story through the lens of a relatable issue, the film reminds us of the value of empathy and understanding. As we grow increasingly accustomed to viewing the world through a binocular lens of right or wrong, Trinity and Assia’s stories show us that there are multiple layers to human behaviour and action, often falling into grey areas. Rather than perceive them as criminals or victims, EXODUS appeals to the compassion we have inside us, based on our own experiences dealing with life’s uncertainties and difficult transitions, and living in complicated relationships; it encourages us to look for the grey areas and is a much-needed reminder to accept our mistakes, flaws, and reasoning for exactly what they are—human.