Cold War

Following the Oscar-winning success of Ida, director Pawel Pawlikowski remains in postwar Poland for this mesmerising romantic drama loosely inspired by his parents' relationship. The story of an intense affair spanning the decades begins in 1949, as pianist/composer Wiktor (Tomasz Kot) presides over an X-Factor-like audition to set up a traditional folk dance troupe to tour under the auspices of Poland's Communist overlords. But Wiktor is soon smitten by free-spirited, mercurial singer Zula (a luminous Joanna Kulig), and their fractious, on/off romance takes them from the austerity of their Soviet-controlled homeland to bohemian 50s Paris (in all its smoky, jazz-infused glory), Yugoslavia and a Polish gulag. Kulig is a revelation, channelling the cool of Monica Vitti, the vivaciousness of young Brigitte Bardot and the introspective power of Liv Ullmann, especially in one Paris bar scene ("She's got something"). The crisp monochrome by Ida cinematographer Lukasz Zal only adds to an utterly entrancing experience.