Movie Review: "Ida" (Pawel Pawlikowski, 2014)

***½ (THREE AND A HALF STARS) by Patrick Belin

 Above: Agata Kulesza in "Ida"

 

I went to see “Ida” with very little expectation; all I knew was that it was a simple story of a young nun coming of age post-WWII.  But though this story is intriguing, while watching the film I discovered that its real strengths lie in its overall presentation.  I don’t mean to suggest that the movie’s worth is skin-deep; quite the contrary.  What I mean to say is that the simplicity of “Ida” is distinctively complemented by its visual format, and that elegant fusion is what makes it worth seeing.

Without giving too much away, the film is the story of its heroine trying to understand her identity in the aftermath of the Second World War (a time when Europe, too, was significantly coming into a new age).  And because Ida is an Ashkenazi Jew (Jewish of European ethnicity) who has been lied to about her heritage for most of her life, this journey is considerably complicated.

The circumstances of this story might appear straight-forward on the surface.  Yet what’s truly interesting is the film’s lack of superfluous creativity in its cinematography and screenplay.  In fact, director Pawel Pawlikowski’s technique is determinedly subtle, resulting in a well-crafted and sophisticated aesthetic vision in which Ida’s journey unfolds. 

Without going too far into the technical jargon, let’s just say that “Ida” was shot in the “Instagram ratio”—black and white, and with very minimal camera movement.  And even without the benefit of color and the expansiveness of the more popular widescreen ratio, Mr. Pawlikowski has been able to truly emphasize the subdued tenor of the story and Ida’s personal demeanor beautifully.

Ironically, this was my single problem with the film, and by ‘problem’ I mean a very minimal gripe: I felt that the movie’s story could have been portrayed with greater emotional depth.  Because if “Ida” has a flaw, it’s that you often feel like the acting is over-powered by the production—that the actors don’t quite have the full freedom to express the emotions the narrative demands.

But I don’t pretend that my opinion is definitive; I’m sure that the entirety of “Ida” worked for many others in the audience.  And on some level, it actually makes perfect sense that the film’s portrayal of Ida should lean towards the stoic, considering her life as a nun in the making.  I do think the film could have been improved by some slight script alterations in the closing scene, but it’s water under the bridge at this point, so enough of my rant.

Seen 11 August 2014, Living Room Theatres, Portland, Oregon.