Cold War (2018)
Director: Paweł Pawlikowski
Cinematographer: Łukasz Żal
Run-Time: 88 Minutes
Aspect Ratio: 4:3
Film Stock: Kodak 5219 Color Negative. Digital Transfer to Black & White.
Cold War is dramatic and turbulent love story between two people, one being a successful musician and composer, and the other being a peasant from the countryside. The unlikely pairing between these two is what leads to a self-destructive relationship that spans over the course of 15 plus years. Love is one of the main themes of this film, though it is ultimately a divisive and loathing feeling that ends in one of the saddest endings to any film I’ve ever seen. Pawlikowski’s ability to craft two relatively distant and unlikeable characters that are so full of soul and raw emotion is one of the main reasons why this is my 10th favorite film of all-time.
[Image: Pawlikowski, Paweł, director. Cold War. Criterion Collection, 2018].
One of the reasons I have been so entranced by this film is due to the atmosphere created by Pawlikowski and his director of photography Łukasz Żal. Watching this film, I am transported to Poland in the 1950s right in the midst of the destructive aftermath of World War II. When the camera and direction bring us to a countryside in Poland I feel as though I am there among the muddy roads and rickety houses on the verge of collapse. When Pawlikowski decides to make us wait at a bar for our former love he is putting us in the bar, a fly on the wall, but more appropriately in this situation, a patron seated at the bar. The framing of the film puts us in a box and does not let us leave until he decides it is time. The foreign landscape seems so familiar as if I was born and raised there.
Another reason for my love of this film is because of the score. Joanna Kulig plays the young peasant woman whose gift for singing is unmatched and brings such warmth to the film that you cannot help but feel her words as they hit your heart. The main theme of this film is called “Dwa Serduszka” which roughly translates to “Two Hearts” in English, along with a second song “Deux Cœurs” which translates the same. These two songs are the backbone of the films feel and grip on the viewer. Performed beautifully by Joanna Kulig, these two songs add to the film in ways that cannot possibly be described with words, but rather only in the way one feels when they watch it for the very first time.
[Image: Pawlikowski, Paweł, director. Cold War. Criterion Collection, 2018].
Though I have only discussed the formal aspects of this film I would now like to add another reason why I love this film so much and why it is so influential. This reason is love. It sounds cheesy when you read it, but love being the underlying theme of this entire film has as much to do with the formal and visual aspects of this film as it does with the emotional chokehold I felt when I first watched it, and every successive time since. I have never really understood what love means and how different in can be until I saw this film. There is so much depth in the two main characters, who really should be seen as shallow due to the lack of background about them. Different forms of love show themselves throughout this film, especially in the different times in which we see the characters interacting. My love for this film is because of the love in the film. Another way to describe this love is catharsis. There is an immense and deep relief when the film ends because of the turbulent and plethora of emotions experienced while watching it. These emotions need to be addressed, watching Cold War is an excellent way to do so.
[Image: Pawlikowski, Paweł, director. Cold War. Criterion Collection, 2018].
A final reason I truly believe this film is so great has to do with language, especially dialogue as it is used in this film. Words can either gain meaning or get lost in translation. By singing “Two Hearts” in both Polish and French there is a whole world of meaning to dig into. The heartfelt performances of these songs by Joanna Kulig make me appreciate the beauty in simplicity, as her simple act of singing with soul is enough to make one feel as though they are renewed in their understanding of connection, and especially in their connection to another. Words are used more to connect than to divide in this film, and I think that that’s something very special and well-done by Pawlikowski.
Finally, my favorite quote of the entire film:
Zula – “Let’s go to the other side… the view will be better there”
(Get ready to cry).
Comentários