“I know love is love, that’s it.”
I just saw Cold War…and don’t worry…I’ll be crying all night.
Cold War is one of those gems that scoots by the average movie-goer, but at least the Academy is paying attention nominating the film for Best Foreign Film (against the dreadfull Roma, which it’ll sadly lose to), Best Director (Paweł Pawlikowski) and Cinematography (reuniting with Ida cinematographer Lukasz Zal).
Tomasz Kot and Joanna Kulig co-star as the two leads in the story loosely inspired by the lives of Pawlikowski’s parents (whom he dedicated the film to).
The movie follows a music director who falls in love with a singer in the 1950s and tries to persuade her to flee communist Poland for France during the Cold War. As border security becomes tighter, their love is perpetually tested due to circumstance over a period of 15 years from Poland to Germany to Yugoslavia to France and back again. Their love story may be bleak, even as the title suggests, but their undying love for each other is one to watch.
Needless to say, I am wrecked.
“I wanted to make it a beautiful disaster,” director Pawel Pawlikowski tells VOX. And that he did. Pawlikowski realized his parents’ love story was the mother of all love stories. And, thanks to them, we have the heartbreakingly beautiful Cold War.
Pawlikowski told The New Yorker that he felt encouraged to embark on the film after the success of Ida, which won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2015. “The fact was that this small Polish film, very focused on a few people, had something universal and transcended borders,” he said.
While the majority of critics loved the movie, a handful weren’t feeling it. NPR writes that “their romance isn’t exactly star-crossed, but it is a mess. Cold War is an ode to joylessness that feels historically credible but narratively arbitrary. In Pawlikowski’s telling, the link between Poland’s agony under Stalinism and Wiktor and Zula’s mutual suffering plays more like more unfortunate coincidence than tragic inevitability.”
I couldn’t disagree more with NPR and how the tragic inevitability of the Cold War is what brought these two together and tore them apart. Despite the misery that ensues, not all love stories have happy endings, and this is one of them.
From the score to the breathtaking black and white cinematography, Cold War grabbed me and never let go. I don’t want to give details of the plot outside of the above summary, because that’s all you need to know, and that’s even more than the trailer teases. Bring your tissues…you’ll need them!
On the Screen Reviews 
Sold! My goodness, this sounds like a heartbreaker. I’m in just on those stills alone, but your review has me beyond intrigued. I watch so few foreign films anymore, this would be a nice (and excruciating?) change of pace.
I’m worried, though – you know? I can tend to, uh, get a little emotional myself. I’ll probably have to take a day just to gather myself.
It’s so worth watching. Trust me. I actually didn’t ugly cry…but I teared up.
I’m glad you loved it! It didn’t have the emotional impact I was hoping for —it felt a bit cold to me— and the characters could have used more depth, but the performances are great, and the cinematography is stunning. And it’s just a way better movie than Roma. Period.
Thanks, Sonia! I agree that the characters could have used a little more depth, but I can’t agree that Roma was a better movie. I hated Roma lol.
xo
I always thought what if I were one of the characters. I don’t think I could stand it. But, given the fact that this is inspired by true events, I’m only speechless.
My theater just opened this so I’m going to try to catch it before the Oscars. Great review!
Thanks, Britt! It’s definitely one to see on the big screen! Let me know when you review it!
STILL haven’t had any chance to see this. It’s driving me freaking crazy!!!!
Ahhh get to it!!! It’s so damn good!
If it would only show near here. I think it hits Amazon Prime sometimes in March.