Ida (PG-13)
20/07/14 22:06 Filed in: 2014
Starring: Agata Kulesza
May 2014
This review was originally tweeted in Real-time from the back row of a movie theater and appears @BackRoweReviews. Though efforts were made to tease rather than ruin this movie’s memorable lines and moments, some spoilers may exist in the following evaluation. The original tweets appear in black, while follow-up comments appear in red. For concerns over objectionable content, please first refer to one of the many parental movie guide websites. All ratings are based on a four star system. Happy reading!
How many nuns does it take to place a statue of Christ?
Asking this was probably in poor taste, but the scene just begged for such a jocular question to be posed. The answer is four.
A Jewish nun?
A religious oxymoron?
Ida is drawn to the Coltrane tune and the man playing the saxophone.
Transgressive on both counts.
Ida lets her hair down. A significant scene.
A hint of what’s to come.
Saving the bones is a bit macabre, yes?
A snicker at supper. A sign that Ida isn’t ready for the “forever” nature of her impending decision?
Not a Snickers for supper. Although, a candy bar would probably be more appetizing than what’s in that soup.
Ida’s transformation is startling in its suddenness.
It’s frightening at how rapidly and radically humans can change.
Final analysis: a somber film about an orphan’s journey to discover the fate of her parents.
Rating: 3 out of 4 stars. A moody period piece that greatly benefits from its beautiful B&W cinematography.
This film is a quiet, unassuming character study centered on a young nun’s search for answers to her parents’ fate. More importantly, the movie is a quest of self-discovery as the woman searches for clues to her identity. Who is she and who does she want to be? These questions lie at the heart of a film where mood rules the moment and many of the film’s greatest revelations are subtly communicated through impressionist directing and minimalist acting. The actress who portrays Anna, Agata Trzebuchowska, delivers an understated performance that powerfully conveys a wide range of emotions with very little facial variance. It’s an extremely nuanced portrayal that’s made even more impressive by the fact that this is Trzebuchowska’s film debut. While the acting and writing are solid throughout, it’s Pawel Pawlikowski’s direction that elevates Ida to the upper ranks of the many fine films being produced by the European national cinemas these days. While the picturesque cinematography of the brooding, overcast Polish countryside and villages is stunning in its own right, Pawlikowski’s framing of his performers is simply sumptuous. In addition to employing radical angles in a handful of shots, Pawlikowski frequently pushes his characters to the extreme edges of the screen to produce tension and discomfort in the viewer and to reveal the inner turmoil of these marginalized and forgotten characters. In several of these shots, the director frames Anna’s disembodied head in the corner of the screen to signify the chastity inherent in her status as nun in training. Such thoughtful framing is subtly woven into the tapestry of the film and serves as a guide for interpreting the movie’s style, substance and subtext. Ida isn’t a phenomenal movie by any measure, but it’s well told and beautifully shot. If you can get past the subtitles and black and white filming, this movie is definitely worth watching.