Cold War
Starring: Joanna Kulig, Tomasz Kot
Directed by: Pawel Pawlikowski
Rated: R
Casablanca meets La La Land in Cold War, a hauntingly beautiful tale of music, love, and political upheaval in 1950’s Communist Poland.
As musical director Wiktor (Tomasz Kot) searches across Poland for folk singers, he finds Zula (Joanna Kulig), a young woman with something special. The two embark on a love affair that spans 15 years. Can their love survive the changing landscape of Communist Poland?
Cold War is a beautifully bleak film. Director Pawel Pawlikowski (in his follow up to the Oscar-winning Ida) directs the film with such precision that you can almost feel the chill in the air as you watch Zula and Wiktor walk through the Polish winter. Instead of focusing on one set period of time, the film spans 15 years. It’s a difficult task to undertake, especially in 90 minutes. On top of it all, Pawlikowski explores many themes in Cold War, including music, political strife, and love. Surprisingly, it works thanks to the focus on Wiktor and Zula’s relationship pulling all of these elements together. Helping out Pawlikowski's direction is the astounding cinematography by Lucasz Zal. I’ve not sure I’ve ever seen a black and white film look so clear and wonderfully symmetrical. Even though the film doesn’t fill the entire screen because of its 4:3 aspect ratio, every scene draws you into the atmosphere. Zal does a fantastic job of capturing the Polish culture. The first act of the film travels through the countryside, capturing different townspeople singing. Through these sequences, we get a glimpse of Poland through the people’s eyes. As the film continues, there are tributes to the country through folk music and costumes. Each of these musical sequences are filmed exquisitely, to the point that you feel like an audience member in attendance at the show. Although the film eventually finds its way to Paris, there’s no doubt, Pawel Pawlikowski and Lucasz Zal have a sincere devotion to Poland.
From the moment Wiktor sees Zula, he remarks on the fact that she has “something.” He spends the next 15 years of his life hoping to figure out what precisely that “something” is that intrigues him so much about the Polish ingenue. This is a bit of a complicated love story, though. Wiktor and Zula seem to have a doomed relationship from the start. Their timing is always wrong. At times, they bring out the worst in each other. Zula is impulsive. Wiktor has a temper. However, they can’t deny how much they love each other. Joanna Kulig and Thomasz Kot give genuinely engaging performances that keep you wondering what will happen to their characters.
I have to mention how gorgeous the music is in this film. Since Wiktor is a music director, the first half of Cold War is filled with music. There are beautiful Polish songs throughout the film. Impressively, lead actress Joanna Kulig sings many of them and sounds beautiful. One song called “Two Hearts” has lyrics that go along with the film. It is repeated a few times in different circumstances. I appreciate that each time the song is used in the film, Zula and Wiktor are in a different place in their lives, but the song still fits them perfectly.
My only issue with Cold War is the ending feels a little rushed. It’s only a 90-minute movie, and when the ending finally arrives, it feels like it comes out of nowhere. The more I think about it, the more I understand the choice in ending. You should be warned that it comes as a surprise and seems somewhat jarring while you are watching for the first time.
Cold War is a gorgeously crafted yet tragic tale of a love that struggles to survive the surrounding chaos.
My Rating: 9/10
*All images belong to Amazon Studios