Directed by Pawel Pawlikowski
Written by Pawel Pawlikowski and Janusz Głowacki with Piotr Borkowski
ChinoKino score: A-
Review by Allan Tong
One of the best films of 2018 is Cold War from Poland. Sure, act three takes a few questionable turns, but Cold War boasts the best cinematography I have seen in a long time, shot in gorgeous black-and-white by Lukasz Zal and unusually framed in 4x3. The film is also driven by strong performances by Joanna Kulig and Tomasz Kot.
They play turbulent lovers in postwar Poland after Wictor (Kot) hires Zula (Kulig) to sing and dance in a folk music ensemble that crosses Communist Europe. They spark at first sight. Zula is emotional and impulsive. The stoic and handsome Wictor flees to Paris at the height of the Cold War and waits for Zula to join him. What happens after that is unpredictable and is satisfying depending on whether you believe the choices the lovers make (not entirely for me).
Kulig burns up the screen. Her Zula is fiery and mercurial, and commands the screen. Wictor stands by her over 15 years of dizzying ups and downs, though sometimes I wondered why. Holding everything together is the music--ranging from Polish folk to American jazz--and a mesemerizing romance. Again, the cinematagraphy is stunning. It is pure pleasure to watch Cold War. The Parisian nightclub scenes are the film's highlights, both musically and visually.
Cold War's Pawel Pawlikowski won Best Director at Cannes last spring, and I can see why. He plays it cool on screen, relying on old-school film techniques, including long wide shots and slow cutting to sensitively convey the volatile romance of Zula and Wictor. Their story is loosely based on his own parents.
I don't know if Cold War will beat Roma at the Oscars (also shot in black and white, but less effectively), but it should catch the eye of North American filmgoers. Cold War is haunting and beautiful.
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