I didn’t notice after the film that this was directed by Paweł Pawlikowski who know of from Ida. In retrospect it should have been obvious as the crisp, black and white images here are definitely similar to that of Ida which can truly be described as being every frame a painting. Unfortunately while being excellent in terms of production values, Cold War is inferior in every respect and its title is somewhat misleading.

Just after the Second World War in Poland, Wiktor is one of those charged with assembling a state-sponsored troupe that highlights the folk music of the countryside. While holding auditions, he is drawn to Zula, a shrewd young woman who they realize is actually faking a peasant identity in order to get out of a jail sentence but Wiktor accepts her anyway. After years of training the troupe is successful and tours all over the country while Wiktor and Zula become lovers. But they come under pressure to add pro-Communist numbers to their repertoire even though that means they can now tour in other countries. While they are performing in East Berlin, Wiktor decides to walk over the border to the West and asks Zula to follow. But when she fails to show up, he crosses alone and makes a new life for himself in Paris, yet this is still only the beginning of their love story.

Given the title, the premise and the opening scene which highlights the folk music of Poland, I wouldn’t have expected this to actually be a love story but it is what it is. As I noted, the visuals are impeccable, with the scene shot within a collapsed church for example seems to be consciously channeling Tarkovsky. The music is fantastic as well with lead actress Joanna Kulig being a surprisingly good singer. Unfortunately the folk music performances and even the struggle between the West and the Eastern Bloc for cultural influence and prestige within the context of the Cold War serve as a mere backdrop for the very personal stories of the two main characters. There may as well be no supporting characters given how intensely the film focuses on only the two of them.

To be fair, the music, the visuals and the plot do work well to give the film a very poetic sensibility that I quite like. There’s also a message here in how Zula observes that life in the West involves selling out just as much as it does back home, only in a different way. But that is a rather trite observation and the love story is nearly as fantastical as the one in Us and Them, even if it does have a darker edge. I do like that Zula is far from a passive character, being more than capable of looking out for her own interests which helps assuage the perception of Wiktor being some kind of creepy predator.

Overall this is once again a very beautiful film but the visuals are in service of a story and themes that are ultimately quite shallow and simple. Ida was a better and more mature work in every way.