FILM REVIEW: Cold War3 min read
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Cold War is a passionate love story between a man and a woman who meet in the ruins of post-war Poland. With different backgrounds and temperaments, they are fatally mismatched and yet fatefully condemned to each other. Set against the background of the Cold War in the 1950s in Poland, Berlin, Yugoslavia and Paris, the couple are separated by politics, character flaws and unfortunate twists of fate — an impossible love story in impossible times.
Director: Pawel Paliwkowski
Year: 2018
Cast: Joanna Kulig, Tomasz Kut, Agatha Kulesza
Language: Polish, French
Runtime: 90min
Rating: M18
Review by Jean Wong
Moviegoers might be tempted to skip this unorthodox film in favour of something more mainstream. To avoid such a wonderfully made film, however, is to miss one of the films to watch out for at this year’s Oscars. Cold War (2018) is, as its name suggests, set against the backdrop of the long and dreary Cold War that took place from 1947 to 1991. Apart from the political divide in the backdrop is the romantic divide between the characters as they attempt to navigate their relationship through volatile times.
The decision to not only shoot the film in black and white but also in 4:3 is perhaps a nod to the time period that the film is set in. Back in the 1950s, movies were still mostly made in the 4:3 screen ratio. Sitting in the cinema watching a film with such dimensions makes the whole experience a lot more homey and seems to bring the audience back to the 50s in a time-travelling escapade.
Wiktor (Tomasz Kut), a musician, is handling a folk ensemble project when he meets Zula (Joanna Kulig). With an indescribable charm and moxie, Zula draws Wiktor’s attention from the very beginning, and this catapults the start of their incredibly complicated romance. The ebb and flow of their love story is marked by political events that taunt their desire to be together. The context in which Wiktor and Zula’s story is set in plays a huge part in its development, particularly with the presence of the Iron Curtain that threatens to divide the two. Cold War, then, cues us in on the time and place of the story at various intervals as the couple tries to figure out where they stand with each other.
The chronology of their love story, however, is eventually obscured, as the film stops clueing us in on the time and place in which their romance is unfolding. Consequently, this intentional decision results in a sense of a time warp occurring as the story progresses. Though it may be only 90 minutes long, following the many ups and downs of Wiktor and Zula’s love story gives the impression that much more time has passed. Stepping out of the cinema felt like going back to a familiar yet strange dimension. Having the film evoke such a sense of surrealism amidst an engaging and compelling storyline is an impressive achievement in itself.
Cold War is certainly an atypical film that strays away from the orthodox, but it is also more than that. It explores the intricacies of two lovers repeatedly drawn to each other yet constantly separated by the complications of the Cold War and their own differences. With his parents serving as the inspiration behind the film, Paliwkowski definitely exercises a personal touch and his own distinctive style in this sweeping tale.
Cold War (2018) opens on 15 February and will screen at various locations – you can check out the screening details here.
