Ida (2013)

A novice nun about to take her vows uncovers a family secret dating back to the German occupation.

Director:

Pawel Pawlikowski

Writers:

Pawel Pawlikowski (screenplay), Rebecca Lenkiewicz (screenplay)

Stars:

Agata Kulesza, Agata Trzebuchowska, Dawid Ogrodnik

Won 1 Oscar. Another 68 wins & 91 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Agata Kulesza	...	Wanda
Agata Trzebuchowska	...	Anna
Dawid Ogrodnik	...	Lis
Jerzy Trela	...	Szymon
Adam Szyszkowski	...	Feliks
Halina Skoczynska	...	Mother Superior
Joanna Kulig	...	Singer
Dorota Kuduk	...	Kaska
Natalia Lagiewczyk	...	Bronia
Afrodyta Weselak	...	Marysia
Mariusz Jakus	...	Barman
Izabela Dabrowska	...	Waitress
Artur Janusiak	...	Policeman
Anna Grzeszczak	...	Neighbour
Jan Wojciech Poradowski	...	Father Andrew (as Jan Wociech Poradowski)

Storyline

Poland, 1962. Anna, an orphan brought up by nuns in the convent, is a novice. She has to see Wanda, the only living relative, before she takes her vows. Wanda tells Anna about her Jewish roots. Both women start a journey not only to find their family's tragic story, but to see who they really are and where they belong. They question what they used to believe in.

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Plot Keywords:

poland | nun | 1960s | jew | convent | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, some sexuality and smoking

Did You Know?

Trivia

Cinematographer Ryszard Lenczewski quit the film after shortly into filming, allegedly for medical reasons, though director Pawel Pawlikowski has later said that Lenczewski left because he did not care for the film and that they would not be working together again. He was replaced by Lukasz Zal, who had been a camera operator on the film.

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Goofs

When Ida is in a church, the priest seems to be getting ready to say Mass and we see a versus populum altar, which didn't become the norm until years later after Vatican II. The movie takes place in 1961 and the priest would have been saying Mass on the high altar.

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Quotes

Lis: ...come along then. You'll listen to us play, we'll walk on the beach.
Anna: And then?
Lis: Then we'll buy a dog... Get married, have children... Get a house.
Anna: And then?
Lis: The usual. Life.

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Connections

Featured in The EE British Academy Film Awards (2015)

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Soundtracks

7 Dni w Kraju i na Swiechie - Uniwersytet w Akrze
By Authors Slawomir Szof, Henryk Kollat and Janusz Lipinski
V/O Tadeusz Kazimierski

User Reviews

Phenomenal

Ida is magnificent, it will stay with me a long time. The narrative is powerfully compelling and yet if it had been a non-narrative film I would have been spellbound by the images alone. They should make a coffee table book of stills from it. Huge emotional issues are dealt with in a remarkably understated, unsentimental, but appropriate way. The use of music (often my pet peeve in these days of Hollywood formula) is enlightened and illustrative. I don't think the ending is ambiguous, I'm not sure the writer who wrote that understood it. Perhaps there is something slightly facile about the way things wrap up in the last 15 minutes of the film, but this is only in comparison with how beautifully they are laid out before that. Enough, this is not really a review, it is an exhortation - Go see Ida!

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

Poland Denmark France UK

Language:

Polish Latin French

Release Date:

25 October 2013 (Poland)

Also Known As:

Ida

Filming Locations:

Lódz, Lódzkie, Poland

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$55,438, 4 May 2014

Gross USA:

$3,827,060

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$11,156,836

Company Credits

Production Co:

Opus Film, Phoenix Film Investments, Canal+ Polska

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1