The quick & dirty from TIFF 2013

Director Pawel Pawlikowski introduced the film and the more he spoke the more I was was falling in love. Here is a man I respect. He's a straight-shooter. He wanted to be clear about something: his film was about the characters. The characters weren't stand-ins for some political agenda, they didn't represent ideological principles, he wasn't making any grandiose statements. What you see is what you get, and what you see is a story about two women and how past decisions influence their current choices. I sat listening to him and wanted nothing more than to go give him a big hug in thanks. I wanted to thank him for being down-to-earth, for declaring…

I mean, My Summer of Love was very, very solid, but... what the hell, Pawel Pawlikowski? Where did this come from!? A seriously astonishing work of beauty from a filmmaker that just jumped from being good to being great, at least in my book. The perfect framing of each wonderfully crafted scene; the fascinating dynamic between the two protagonists; everything. Everything about this movie was just gorgeous, and the third act was particularly astonishing. Almost reminded me a bit of Bergman at times, which I don't mean as anything but an enormous compliment. Ida slowly absorbs you with its spell until you don't even realize that it has stolen you completely away from reality and into its bleak, dichotomous world.…

I am very surprised by how beautiful this film is, I didn’t expect something like this, especially coming from 2013, a time when contemporary cinema was often surrendering to overly noisy or emotionally manipulative formulas. For me, someone who had never had contact with the director’s work, it was like discovering a forgotten masterpiece.

The lead actress is strikingly precise; I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Her presence was so serene. She carried an incredible emotional weight, especially for someone who had never acted before. Her face was often still and inexpressive, yet it reverberated with everything the film sought to convey in sequence: inherited silences, unspoken guilt, and the invisible weight of history.

And what a moving story.…

[I try to promote my blog as little as possible, but in this case the images are better integrated into the review over there.]

"This is so Róża. Fancy stained glass next to cow shit."

Ida is structured around a central visual conceit, and as such it will likely split audiences into those that find it enhances the experience of the film and those that find it distracting. For me, it plays into Ida's preoccupation with religion. The film is shot in 1.33:1 full screen aspect ratio, creating a taller and thinner image which often leaves a large amount of space above Ida's head. This space symbolizes the presence of God: the picture leaves room for Him within the frame.…

J'ai revu Ida : l'histoire d'une sœur d'un couvent en Pologne qui découvre son héritage familial.

C'est une plongée dans la Pologne pauvre et communiste via le regard de cette femme catholique qui découvre progressivement ses racines grâce à sa tante. Elles entament un road trip afin d'alléger leur deuil et trouver leur identité.

Pawel Pawlikowski utilise la dualité des personnages pour évoquer ce combat interne face à la foi entre judaïsme et catholicisme : doit-elle encore croire en Dieu ou succomber au pessimisme ? Elle passe du monastère silencieux aux bars de jazz bruyants et chaotiques, elle doit choisir entre sa croyance et ses envies sexuelles.

Pendant ce temps la tante juive se plaint du système communiste auquel elle…