IDA (2013) by Pawel Pawlikowski

“Ida is a compelling film that achieves a great deal in a short time. The performances are superb and the sense of location and period miraculous. It could be Pawlikowski’s masterpiece.” – Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

“Spare, haunting, uncompromising, Ida is a film of exceptional artistry whose emotions are as potent and persuasive as its images are indelibly beautiful.” – Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

“There is an implicit argument here between faith and materialism, one that is resolved with wit, conviction and generosity of spirit. Mr. Pawlikowski has made one of the finest European films (and one of most insightful films about Europe, past and present) in recent memory.” – A.O. Scott, The New York Times

***

[Peter]

So Tarkovsky and Bergman were sitting around the poker table one night, having a few yucks, and after one too many glasses of aquavit they decided to make a Polish road movie together; this is the origin story of IDA. Okay, not really; this tour de force was the brainchild of Paweł Pawlikowski, a Polish director who had previously achieved only modest success making films in the UK before deciding to return to his homeland and cinematically explore his country’s tortured past while at the same time trying to process the tragic history lurking within his own family tree (his Jewish grandmother was killed at Auschwitz).

To quote the director himself: “As far as I’m concerned, all you really need is a story, with two or three interesting characters, interestingly entangled in an interesting space. You also need some transcendent idea, emotion or urge to carry you through the whole process.” The result is a film of almost incomparably austere beauty, where every shot looks like a portrait suitable for framing (à la Bergman), and the main characters say little but reveal the tempests brewing within their souls with the slightest glance or gesture (Tarkovsky would be proud). There is a lot of political and philosophical meat to chew on here, but at its core IDA is a coming-of-age metaphysical journey that will stay with you long after the last credit has rolled past.

You can stream IDA for free on Kanopy or Hoopla, or (if you can tolerate the ads) on Tubi.

Happy viewing!