Popular reviews

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  Review by kársten ★★★★½

  This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

  whenever a movie does that little thing where the camera doesn’t move off sticks till the final shot i’m guaranteed to go cuckoo nutso bananas over it

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  Review by maria ★★★★ 4

  modern era, colored, 16:9 aspect ratio and english speaking movies are cancelled as of now

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  Review by Lise ★★★★★ 14

  The quick & dirty from TIFF 2013

  Director Pawel Pawlikowski introduced the film and the more he spoke the more I was was falling in love. Here is a man I respect. He's a straight-shooter. He wanted to be clear about something: his film was about the characters. The characters weren't stand-ins for some political agenda, they didn't represent ideological principles, he wasn't making any grandiose statements. What you see is what you get, and what you see is a story about two women and how past decisions influence their current choices. I sat listening to him and wanted nothing more than to go give him a big hug in thanks. I wanted to thank him for being down-to-earth, for declaring…

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  Review by iana ★★★★½

  i remember first watching ida when i was just getting into film - when I thought getting into film meant watching everything that was nominated for an oscar - and it blew me away. the cinematography was so unconventional - i thought it was one of the most beautiful movies i had ever seen. what i can tell now is that ida’s loneliness and isolation feels palpable, the visuals are so cold and distant, drawing attention to empty space as much as the object of the camera’s gaze.

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  Review by Eli Hayes ★★★★½ 12

  I mean, My Summer of Love was very, very solid, but... what the hell, Pawel Pawlikowski? Where did this come from!? A seriously astonishing work of beauty from a filmmaker that just jumped from being good to being great, at least in my book. The perfect framing of each wonderfully crafted scene; the fascinating dynamic between the two protagonists; everything. Everything about this movie was just gorgeous, and the third act was particularly astonishing. Almost reminded me a bit of Bergman at times, which I don't mean as anything but an enormous compliment. Ida slowly absorbs you with its spell until you don't even realize that it has stolen you completely away from reality and into its bleak, dichotomous world.…

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  Review by fran hoepfner ★★★★½

  I’m so glad I did not say “okay, me vibes” aloud when the aunt is walking around in a robe blasting Mozart

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  Review by CinemaVoid 🏴‍☠️ ★★★★½ 4

  A masterclass on silence, negative space and film grain.

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  Review by ScreeningNotes ★★★★ 20

  [I try to promote my blog as little as possible, but in this case the images are better integrated into the review over there.]

  "This is so Róża. Fancy stained glass next to cow shit."

  Ida is structured around a central visual conceit, and as such it will likely split audiences into those that find it enhances the experience of the film and those that find it distracting. For me, it plays into Ida's preoccupation with religion. The film is shot in 1.33:1 full screen aspect ratio, creating a taller and thinner image which often leaves a large amount of space above Ida's head. This space symbolizes the presence of God: the picture leaves room for Him within the frame.…

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  Review by SilentDawn ★★★½ 1

  Continuously a cinematographic triumph and a moody study of a crossroads of faith; Ida is a film that kept me quietly in a state of enrapture and focus. While it'll never be a film I will watch again, mainly because of the distressing and dense subject matter that didn't really resonate with me, I cannot deny that I was in consistent awe throughout the brisk 82 minute runtime. Visually, It's a stunner. Emotionally, It's quite distant.

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  Review by Naughty aka Juli Norwood ★★★ 4

  Breathtaking black and white cinematography that can't compare to the striking beauty of Agata Trzebuchowska (Ida)! I could see people flocking to this alter repeatedly to worship her extraordinary presence!

  Compelling storyline about a novice nun discovering a secret about her heritage that sadly barely scratches below the surface of a tragic tale. The film like the Tin Man had no heart! It always kept me at arms length which ultimately left me cold and indifferent!

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  Review by davidehrlich ★★★ 2

  the only thing this nun ever vowed...is revenge! no? gorgeously monochromatic but sketchy look at psychic fallout of holocaust. just needed to be a *bit* more filled in to really connect and make the decisions that precipitate its ending feel more significant.

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  Review by CinemaCl🎃wn ★★★ 15

  Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at Oscars this year, Ida is an intimately crafted, patiently narrated & visually enticing tale about identity that's neither meant to nor going to work out for everyone. Its emotionally scarring content may make many embrace it but then its wintry ambience is also capable of leaving many with a cold feeling towards it.

  Set in Poland during the 1960s, Ida tells the story of its titular character who is a young novice nun planning to take her vows but is asked to visit her family before doing so. After meeting her only relative, she learns about her true heritage & embarks on a journey with her to find out about her parents, a journey that…