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

First five drafts of the script were written by Cezary Harasimowicz.

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Goofs

Flipped image. Near the end, Ida is resting in bed with her head on a pillow, to the left side of the screen. The close up shot is from above looking down and the image is flipped. A small mole that has been on her right cheek throughout the film is, in this shot, on her left side, and returns to her right side in the following shots.

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Quotes

Wanda: What sort of sacrifice are these vows of yours?

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Connections

Referenced in Evening Urgant: Elena Isinbayeva/Tina Kuznetsova (2015)

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Soundtracks

Guarda che luna
Performed by Joanna Kulig

User Reviews

Black-and-White perfect choice for Ida

This b&w film is engraved in my memory.

The producer told her audience at the Guanajuato International Film Festival (Mexico) that finding funding for a b&w film took a long time. How wise she and the director were to hold out because b&w gives the film its period feel (the events occur 1961-62).

The story, occasionally too linear, is believable overall, at times all too believable. Its subtext: coming of age, Communism's excesses in Poland, peasant-Jewish relations during the Holocaust, worldliness vs. faith. And yes, they all work.

The aunt is played by a justly renowned Polish actress, the novice nun by an amateur who despite the film's success in Poland doesn't want to continue to act.

I don't want to spill over into spoilers, will sum up by saying that viewers will see a complex film simply told, set during Poland's painful post-war years and a no-holds-barred look at how various Poles treated Jews during the Second World War.

Ida played to large audiences in Poland where the film was generally praised, despite receiving flak from a few detractors as either anti-Polish or anti-Jewish, a fact reinforcing my view that the film owes part of its power to avoiding stereotypes. A compelling, technically excellent film worth the care lavished on it.

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