Ida (2013)
Anna, a young novitiate in 1960s Poland, is on the verge of taking her vows when she discovers a family secret dating back to the years of the German occupation.
- Paweł Pawlikowski
- Grzegorz Dębowski
- Paweł Pawlikowski
- Rebecca Lenkiewicz
Rating: 7.24/10 by 966 users
Alternative Title:
Ida - Formerly Sister of Mercy - US
Country:
Denmark
Poland
Language:
Polski
Runtime: 01 hour 22 minutes
Budget: $2,159,280
Revenue: $15,298,355
Plot Keyword: nun, mine, family secrets, black and white, poland, convent (nunnery), 1960s
A beautifully shot story about a young woman who was abandoned to the church as a baby and is now about to take holy orders. Before she fully commits, however, she decides to trace her birth family. Agata Trzebuchowska ("Anna") alights on her aunt Agata Kulesza ("Wanda") - a former pillar of the post war Polish communist legal establishment, but now a rather dissolute character prone to drinking and one night stands, to help her find the truth. Her family story has some grisly history to it, but together they travel their country in search of some answers. En route, they pick up a hitchhiker "Lis" (David Ogrodnik) who (genuinely) plays tenor sax in a band that has a gig in their hotel with with whom she bonds - after a fashion - until their search is concluded and yet more tragedy strikes our novice nun. This film is wonderfully enigmatic - it is quite difficult to date; the script is taut but sparing; the monochrome effects render it an atmosphere all of it's own and despite the inevitability of the whole thing, there is still a degree of optimism and sincerity seeping through the prevailing timbre of sadness.
