Cold War - A Beautiful Forgotten Film

Cold War is directed by Pawel Pawlikowski and it tells the story that is a tragic, passionate love story set during the Cold War in the 1950s in Europe.Wiktor and Zula fall in love while working in a traveling music group, but political differences and inner struggles, pull each other apart. 

The film was filmed in black and white, it has an incredible sound, production design, direction, performances and the story will make you cry. It won Best Director in Cannes 2018 and even was nominated for Best International Film at the Oscars 2019 and screened in many festivals around the world.

But, now… people seemed to have forgotten about this magnificent beauty of filmmaking. I discovered this film, back at Morelia International Film Festival in 2018 in Mexico and I was mesmerized by the end of the film, even met the director who gave a lovely chat about the creation of the story.

The story presented to us is about reflection, loss, sense of belonging and how sometimes the destiny has other plans in store. From the moment, the film starts, you feel a connection between Wiktor and Zula, you feel the spark and how everytime Wiktor sees Zula, a light just brights inside a room. But, we follow along their lives and how the destiny keeps tearing them apart. 

The cinematography sells the movie in the aspect of watching a movie in the 1950 and it‘s compelling to see it on screen. Some of the shots are well placed to make us understand in which point or stand the characters are in that period of time. The camera feels like another character in the story and Pawel prints his style into the heart of the story.

The music is also a big part of the film, since Wiktor and Zula are essentially singers, and the songs elevates the story well, it becomes another character to the story. In every note, you sense their emotions, what they are truly feeling in that moment and the actors are excellent in their roles to portray those emotions. 

What really stands out from the rest of romantic dramas is how raw and intense the performances are, and how their chemistry is believable. You can see every expression of them feeling sad, joyful, happy, in anger, but the emotion feels real enough to convince the audience about their love.

When we reach to the final destination, the ending… it‘s sad and unforgettable. Pawel creates an ending that is ambiguious, but also that is the only way, that they can be together. Is one of those endings that will leave you in awe. It‘s a simple scene in a bench, but their emotions and expressions are what truly sell the scene and how Pawel wanted to end this love story.

Despite it was the International Film that was a Festival Darling, Cold War didn‘t stay for long in the minds of many cinephiles 

I will not spoil it for you, if you haven‘t seen it, it‘s an emotional ride that by the end, you will be left in pieces ready to crumble and put back together.