Paweł Pawlikowski’s “Cold War”

Cold War (2018)

With sumptuous cinematography from Łukasz Żal and captivating central performances from Joanna Kulig and Tomasz Kot, it’s a masterfully crafted bittersweet romance with a sting in its tail

Shot in 4:3 Academy ratio as with his earlier “Ida”, Pawlikowski’s follow up is visually stunning, threaded with music from traditional folk to jazz (often the same songs) and pinned to a captivating story that touches on loyalty, politics, jealousy, culture, faith and creativity. The tagline for the film “There Will Never Be Another You” is essentially the thesis statement for the core of the story which is the relationship between Joanna and Tomasz.

Overall, it’s an astounding cinematic achievement though I felt its conclusion despite being executed beautifully was somewhat bland.