Pretty Good

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Scenography and pictures are well done, and it rescue movie form compleat disaster. Sadly there is nothing more positive one could say anles is politically motivated. It is another take after "Poklosie" (Aftermath -2012) weak and sad piece of misrepresentation of historical facts. Story is told without balance and proportion that should come when dealing with this kind of narreative. So like in "Aftermath". Again complex polish - jewish relationsships, are clumsily flattened into plot in with younger generation discovers mords committed by polish peasants on their neighbors during WWII. There is so little content in that movie, and so much time waisted, that could be used to educate american audience, like to speak out the true, about brutal german occupation, that was far worse from what countires in west europe had. Instead we have long minutes of looks in the eyes, and quiet and seedy speak. Simply boring. I'm not sure how much the problem was lack of proper budget, or if it was simply shaped to deliver product that would be supported by american jews.

Ida is a film about a novice Nun named Anna who, approaching the end of her training is delivered a startling revelation concerning her identity and she must leave the Nunnery in an attempt to find answers.Ida as a film is almost perfect. The film is shot in a crisp black and white intended to be reminiscent of the Soviet era Poland that the film is set in. This decision is complemented by brilliant cinematography which prefers longer shots, and frames almost every one of them perfectly. It is only a small exaggeration for me to say that any shot randomly picked from the movie could work for its poster. Pawel Pawlikowski and cinematographers Łukasz Żal and Ryszard Lenczewski pull off wonders behind the camera and make even a shot of Anna walking down a country road breathtaking.The acting in Ida is also very strong although perhaps its weakest element in comparison to others. The performances are mostly emotional and heartfelt but at times Anna's character can come across a bit too passive and blank (even if she is in an alien environment.) The acting of Agata Kulesza as the Aunt is by far the best in the movie and she delivers a conflicted deep performance. There is no music in the film except for when there is music for the characters (with a small exception in the final scene). This silence works in the films favour creating a more immersive experience and adding significance to those scenes where music is heard. For example the Jazz band's pieces are emphasised by their breaking of the silence and are contrasted with the absence of music in the Monastery to illustrate the diverging lives Anna could lead.The film also poses deeper questions to the audience over the areas of guilt and moral responsibility and the slower pace that the editing provides gives the audience a greater time alongside the characters to consider this.Ultimately this film delivers an incredibly impactful story in a beautiful fashion. As long as you don't mind films with subtitles or a slightly slower paced movie, I cannot recommend it more.

"In the end, everything is found to be wanting." - Frank Lentricchia, The Sadness of AntonioniSet in the post-World War II Poland, the film traverses the life events of a Christian orphan, nun-to-be – Ida, who just weeks before taking her oath meets her only living relative - a long-lost Jewish aunt - Wanda; and subsequently came along the unknown memories of a long- lost childhood. In their brief association, they travel to the countryside to know the whereabouts of her dead parents where Ida buries the tragedy of her murdered and much-unknown Jewish family along with the reasons of her own survival, thereby returning to her convent to continue her journey ahead, thus marking the necessary re-dissociation with her alcoholic, tramp-like, unstable aunt (the irony), but ends up having the very doubts towards her choice to abnegate the world. With a heavy heart, she decides not to take her oath; however, she wasn't alone – her aunt ends up taking drastic steps to rest her own doubts.In order to attend the funeral, Ida gets another opportunity to associate a little more with her unknown roots. She returns to the quarters of her then deceased aunt and is tempted to live nights with the philandering ways of her once only-living-relative – of liquor, smoking and men. She accepts the course of life coming her way - that of the materialistic world, full of carnal passion. Although, she seemed not herself and the next morning Ida leaves for her old life at the convent – to become the person that she sought out to be.The Polish film noir displays a distinctive story-telling and abstract cinematography. As we see Ida's world in "black and white" we realise that though all humans seem good and evil, they are not; instead they are 'ironically' different shades of grey - both good and evil. When the pious, untouched heart of a sister is tinged by them, she is bound to be attracted and even so - deviated from her path of renouncement. The life as we know it worked like a vaccine for a nun-to-be, and then this spiritually lost girl emerged out immune to all the attractions that the world could offer. Director Pawel Pawlokowski, who won the Academy Award for the Best Foreign Language film for this work, may have given his viewers a lot more than usual cinema experience to think of. Anna Trzebuchowska as Ida, is diminutively beautiful in her portrayal of a sister; however, Anna Kulesza as Ida's aunt is the most impressive amongst the cast with her alcoholic, drained out, yet fighter-like persona. "Subtly attractive; 7/10"

This is an artistic film, a Polish drama filmed in a beautiful B&W technology, decorated with minimalism, deliberately accentuated the asymmetry, but again, in a perfect balance between living things and background. It is interesting and setting characters in the scene that was never in the center of the frame, one at the edges, emphasizing certain emotional drama on their faces. For this to be achieved impressive actors are required, such sensibility, something unusual that you would have to intrigue to study that face. Ida is an unpretentious work, fermented for the true film fans who enjoy every scene, every aspect and every detail and for those people who will know how to appreciate film art in general. It is recommended for film fans who like slow play without a lot of stories, but with a lot of what happens between the lines.