Ida Review

Ida Review

The other day, the local indie film theater near me started to play a small Polish film. I was told I should go see it and not to look up anything too big about it. So I followed the advice and went in almost completely blind. Really so many movie are better going in with no prior knowledge of what is going to happen, and this one is no exception.
So I will keep spoilers and any plot down to a bare minimum. 

The information I can give about the film is, Agata Trzebuchowska's character is a nun that is about to take her vows and has to leave for a short period of time before that happens. This time ends up changing her life dramatically and in ways she previously would have never expected. That is pretty much all I wish to tell about this movie, which I know is not a lot to entice anyone and convince them to see this movie. The reason I don't really want to say much is not to hide a huge Fight Club like twist or anything, but to preserve the story, which is really moving and touching. The less of the story spoiled will equal a greater movie viewing experience.

It is a little baffling that this is Agata Trzebuchowska's first film performance ever. She owns this role and brings a real sense of confusion and frustration to the her character. Sometimes actors/actresses get that starting role that just secures the deal for them, this might be Agata Trzebuchowska's. I hope she will start to be in more projects very soon. Now there is also an actress named Agata Kulesza (don't worry I'm not sure how to pronounce either of them also). I won't say where she fits in the film, but know she is just as good as Agata Trezbuchowska. Neither of them steal any scenes from each other, but work together to elevate all the scenes.

One thing that is instantly noticeable about the film is the camera work. It is shot with a ton of very static shots. Makes for really interesting viewing. The static shots are not normal in themselves either, they often have the people's faces in a corner of the screen and show a lot of space above them. Really interesting camera work all around too, with steady tracking shots like at the end, and all sorts of cool shots. Not to mention the whole film is in black and white, which becomes really important in the film, for it sets the mood perfectly for it.

One thing that is quite interesting is the lack of music in the film. Now it is not No Country for Old Men style where there is no music, but there is not a lot, and when it is used sometimes it doesn't work perfectly with the film. You get used to not listening to music for awhile, then when it does play some music, it can take you out of the movie for a moment at the surprise of hearing music. Although is the music good and well done? Yes, it does fit well, just under used maybe.

The film is not very long, only around 80 minutes, where most will not be willing to watch a foreign film, especially a place where many most of the films made there do not reach America, like

Poland, but with a run time as short as this and a film that is as highly reviewed as this, and as long as people can get ahold of it, will make it an easier to try film. Which is really good because it is well deserving of a wider release in the United States and elsewhere. So, if anyone has a opportunity to see Ida, I highly recommend it, lots going for the filmmakers and the actors/actresses in the film. And don't forget even if you don't like foreign films (I know plenty of people who don't) it is only 80 minutes, so at worst you tried a film and didn't like it and ended up wasting 80 minutes of your day.

In case you really want to see it but have no Indie theaters near you, you can rent the movie on itunes for pretty cheap (3 or 4 dollars I think). So if you really want to see it, there's a good option.