Cold War (2018)
(Zimna wojna)(2018)
Love has no borders.
A passionate romance between two mismatched people, set in 1950s Cold War Poland. Multi-award winner at festivals around the world, including Best Director at Cannes 2018.... More
"Based loosely on the story of the director's own parents, Cold War covers the entirety of a couple's love affair, from their enchanted first meeting in 1949 to the aching denouement of their relationship in the 1960s. Wiktor (Tomasz Kot) is a jazz-loving pianist and musical director tasked with auditioning traditional folk musicians as part of a state-sponsored project to champion culture from rural Poland. Young Zula (Joanna Kulig), who turns out to be more torch singer than folk singer, captivates Wiktor at first sight with her beauty and insouciance. Their fates joined, Zula and Wiktor are soon struggling both with personal demons and historical forces that persist in tearing them apart." (Toronto International Film Festival)Hide
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Nominated for the Palm d'Or, winner of Best Director, Cannes 2018.
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Directed by Pawel Pawlikowski ('Ida', 'My Summer of Love', 'Last Resort')
Starring Joanna Kulig, Tomasz Kot, Borys Szyc, Agata Kulesza, Cédric Kahn, Jeanne Balibar, Adam Ferency, Adam Woronowicz
Written by Pawel Pawlikowski, Janusz Glowacki, Piotr Borkowski
Flicks Review
BY Steve Newall Flicks Writer
As this black and white film opens with villagers singing folk songs in post-WWII Poland for the benefit of archivists, you’d be forgiven for making a grievous error—that an invigoratingly romantic experience is not about to make your heart explode. For his follow-up to Oscar-winner Ida, Pawel Pawlikowski sought inspiration from his parents’ tempestuous marriage, and the resulting tale (which won him Best Director at Cannes 2018) introduces a pair of mismatched musicians to one another, following them through an intense love affair over the subsequent decade.... More
In Tomasz Kot and Joanna Kulig, Cold War has incredibly photogenic and supremely talented leads. They light up the frame of this beautifully-lensed film and, unsurprisingly, each other from the moment they meet, when Wiktor (Kot) discovers Zula (Kulig) while talent-scouting. Wiktor is tasked with assembling a regional folk group to showcase Polish culture internationally, Zula is a show-stopper at her audition, and the pair quickly falls into a passionate affair while Zula’s star rises as the standout performer of the ensemble.
After the troupe is turned into a Communist-era propaganda tool, the pair becomes separated by the nascent Iron Curtain, and innocent folk songs give way to jazz and smoky chanteuse numbers in the more permissive West. Charting the passing of time and the narrative of Wiktor and Kulig’s love affair, Cold War’s musical performances are captivating, seemingly effortless extensions of Kot and Kulig’s characters in an utterly convincing, compelling way that rivals the efforts of A Star Is Born.
As far as stars go, Kulig makes one of herself here, or should if there’s any justice, as she nails every nuance of her character’s development from not-so-innocent kinda-ingenue, and proves a show-stopper on stage. With musical numbers and romance sizzling the screen, Pawlikowski somehow manages to whip through this decade-and-a-half-long tale in a mere 88 minutes, this all killer, no filler love story at turns reaching right into your heart for squeezes both gentle and much more crushing.Hide
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Cold War (2018)
The Press Reviews
Cold War will only increase Pawlikowski's reputation as one of the next great auteurs, but, more importantly, it will have everyone who sees it asking, "What's that girl's name?" Ladies and gentlemen, her name is Joanna Kulig has she has arrived. Full Review
A thrilling exploration of romantic disappointment with a killer soundtrack. Full Review
This is an achingly personal story - the romantic leads are named after Pawlikowski's own parents, to whom the film is dedicated - and also a sadly resigned one. Full Review
There is an exquisite chill to this film. Full Review
It deftly walks the line between appropriately somber and great, sophisticated fun. Full Review
A soberly moving study of the disappointment and insecurity that can blossom from supposed renewal: It's a romance in which new beginnings and endings can be hard to tell apart. Full Review
It's visually stunning, passionate, wistful, and thoughtful in equal measure. Full Review
Cold War is an evocation of love, music, passion and heartbreak set against ice, rubble and fear. It is a lean and perfect gem. Full Review
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