Ida (2013)

Anna, a young novitiate nun in 1960s Poland, is on the verge of taking her vows when she discovers a dark family secret dating back to the years of the German occupation.

Director:

Pawel Pawlikowski

Writers:

Pawel Pawlikowski (screenplay), Rebecca Lenkiewicz (screenplay)

Stars:

Agata Kulesza, Agata Trzebuchowska, Dawid Ogrodnik

Won 1 Oscar. Another 69 wins & 84 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 Wociech Poradowski	...	Father Andrew

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.

---

Plot Keywords:

poland | nun | 1960s | jew | convent | 

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

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:

Sister of Mercy

Filming Locations:

Lódz, Lódzkie, Poland

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$55,438, 4 May 2014, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$3,827,060

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$15,298,355

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

The city of Lódz, where the film was shot, provided some of the film's budget.

---

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.

---

Quotes

Wanda: Do you have sinful thoughts sometimes?
Anna: Yes.
Wanda: About carnal love?
Anna: No.
Wanda: That's a shame. You should try, otherwise what sort of sacrifice are these vows of yours?

---

Connections

Featured in The Oscars (2015)

---

Soundtracks

Equinox
Composed by John Coltrane in 1960, from album "Coltrane's Sound" released by Atlantic Records in June 1964.

User Reviews

mediocre

The European art film industry could do better than acknowledging Ida as a phenomenal masterpiece, and, probably, the best European film of the year.Flat, pretentious and minimal in a bad sense, with characters immersed in a despair, socially constructed, gloomy without depth and without the existential background of a Tarkofsky film or the wit and the directory genius of a certain polish film called Knife in the water(yes it's the first Polanski movie), Ida is a film that I had to try hard watching without going to sleep.Yes I'm sure some people will find the meanings devastating and they will commend it's beautifully shot(I keep wondering, what's the purpose of the strange frames, with the faces at the bottom?), but I believe what we have here is a certain form of calligraphy, poor in ideas and totally trivial, I have already forgotten.It's a shame that this movie was selected to be the best European movie of the year, especially when there were such masterpieces this year as Calvary and Locke.