Pawel Pawlikowski’s ‘Cold War’ Is Admirable & Beautiful To Look At [Cannes Review]

It was just four years ago that Polish director Pawel Pawlikowski stunned the cinematic world with his post-holocaust 80-minute film, “Ida” which somehow wasn’t in Cannes competition in 2014. Beautifully rendered in a cold, affecting black and white, “Ida” dealt with Poland’s controversial and still maligned pre- and post-World War II malaise towards Jews. His latest, “Cold War,” is also shot by “Ida” cinematographer Lukasz Zal in a black-and-white palette and 1.37:1 aspect ratio that just makes you want to lick the screen in cinematic envy. However, unlike “Ida” which took place in the span of a few weeks, this latest and more problematic endeavor spans 15 years (between 1949 and 1964), as it concentrates on an on-again/off-again affair between a female singer and her mentor – a conductor who dares to risk his good life in Poland to leave for France.

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Tomasz Kot plays Viktor, an aristocrat musician and composer in charge of putting together a Polish musical show that aims to tour farms, villages, and eventually big cities (think what Alan Lomax did in Mississippi at around the same time, looking for the roots of his country’s musicality). Viktor is looking to preserve the musical culture, which is all but despised by the elites, as folk music is rebellious and non-conforming and makes you think outside the box. However, the show Viktor puts together is about to enter the ranks of the elite due to its unmitigated popularity. The government is scared and requests that musical numbers conform to Polish law and also salute dictators, but Viktor can’t abide.

During the creation of his show, Viktor is instantly taken by Zula (Joanna Kulig), a beauty who he takes under his wing and promotes as the face of the musical troupe. Not too long after, they fall in love, yet they can never quite achieve the stability needed due to their differing opinions on government. Although a conformist, she is drawn to life in Poland, whereas Viktor believes that the country’s toxicity and corruption are not worth living in. He asks Zula to meet him at the border for a crossing that would lead to a better life in Paris, but she never shows up. Zula has found a purpose in Poland, a comfort that makes her adhere to whatever restrictions were laid upon her by the dictatorship in power. She comes to terms with her government’s evil and accepts it, but he can’t.

Between communist blocs and the warfare of love, “Cold War” paints a picture of a man and a woman, enslaved to both desire and to history. The bet is audacious and aims at brevity and acuteness, but its narrative approach is risky enough to isolate the viewer, who is never fully able to enter the icy cold atmosphere that the director creates.

Despite its 82 minutes, the film is rather ambitious, tackling 15 years in the life of this tumultuous relationship. Throughout, we hop from Warsaw to Berlin to Paris to Zagreb and back to Warsaw. Viktor is smitten by the West, but Zula, who finally gives it a shot, is not. French actress Jeanne Balibar shows up as a poet, as does Cédric Kahn as a seductive filmmaker who has an eye on Zula and tries to take advantage of her isolation in Paris. Kudos to cinematographer Zal for shooting the Paris scenes with such luminous cinematic light that you are baffled by Zula’s rather lukewarm response to the joie de vivre of the city. Maybe she’s just used to misery and the cold, icy weather of Poland, but it’s never really hinted at nor is it revealed why she has such disaffection for it.

Maybe a little more breathing room would have helped. With such a limited running time, it’s rather easy to lose track of the messy story, especially given how much traveling Pawlikowski’s characters do in the film, and so, we barely have time to understand what shapes and changes them. In a way, empathy takes a backseat for considerably impressive photography and shots.

The musical numbers are stunning as well; jazz, swing, folk standards, and even rock songs are performed in a soundtrack that rivals any of the supposed great musicals released this decade.

If anything, Pawlikowski’s film is carried by Kulig, a star in the making, whose mix of on-screen ferocity and charm can’t make you look away. She embodies the fighting spirit of her character in ways that are not represented on-page and is a hypnotic fixture in the film.

Inspired by the story of the director’s parents, “Cold War,” very much feels like a personal film from Pawlikowski. The minute-to-minute detail is absolutely stunning, from the period costumes to the on-set locations, there’s a searing authenticity to the time period that is undeniably absorbing. However, the almost too tightening restraint he gives his film forces us to quickly witness its events rather than be enveloped or moved by them. You admire what you’re seeing, but just like its main characters, you never fully fall in love. [B]

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