Ida

Name: Ida
Genre: Drama
Released: May 2, 2014
Duration: 82 min
Rating: 91
Cast: Agata Kulesza, Agata Trzebuchowska, Dawid Ogrodnik, Jerzy Trela

2014

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 35 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 213 Ratings

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7.5

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7.5	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 213 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

Music Box Films | Release Date: May 2, 2014 | PG-13

Starring: Agata Kulesza, Agata Trzebuchowska, Dawid Ogrodnik, Jerzy Trela

Summary: Poland, 1962. Anna (Agata Trzebuchowska), an eighteen-year-old novitiate nun is on the verge of taking her vows when she discovers a dark family secret dating back to the years of the Nazi occupation.

Director: Pawel Pawlikowski

Genre(s): Drama

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 82 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Dana Stevens

May 2, 2014

There’s an urgency to Ida’s simple, elemental story that makes it seem timely, or maybe just timeless. Read full review

100

Bill Stamets

May 22, 2014

Ida reaches spiritual depth through affecting performances rendered in sublime black-and-white compositions. Read full review

100

Peter Travers

Apr 9, 2015

Ida is an art film in the finest sense of the term — it is austere technique counterbalanced by emotions that bleed. Read full review

Andrew O'Hehir

May 1, 2014

What makes Ida remarkable is how much Pawlikowski is able to accomplish in just 80 minutes, with a pair of mismatched female characters, a handful of wintry and desolate locations, the square-format cinematography of Ryszard Lenczewski and Lukasz Zal, and a soundtrack that combines modernism, Soviet-bloc pop music and a haunting performance of John Coltrane’s “Naima” that seems to capture all the emotional possibilities the characters cannot express. Read full review

A.A. Dowd

May 1, 2014

Over an efficient 80 minutes, no shot feels wasted, and no one says much that couldn’t be better communicated through their placement in the artfully arranged frame. Read full review

Empire David Hughes

Sep 22, 2014

Pawlikowski has a photographer’s eye for composition, and every crisp, monochrome frame could be a postcard from Poland’s tragic, turbulent past. Read full review

Peter Debruge

Apr 29, 2014

It’s one thing to set up a striking black-and-white composition and quite another to draw people into it, and dialing things back as much as this film does risks losing the vast majority of viewers along the way, offering an intellectual exercise in lieu of an emotional experience to all but the most rarefied cineastes. Read full review

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User Reviews

GinaK

Jun 15, 2014

A splendid film about subjects done a million times before – coming of age (but this time it’s a young Catholic novice) and the Jewish tragedy of WW2 and its consequences, but in Poland. Done in black and white (yes, with subtitles), each shot was beautifully framed (I kept thinking ofA splendid film about subjects done a million times before – coming of age (but this time it’s a young Catholic novice) and the Jewish tragedy of WW2 and its consequences, but in Poland. Done in black and white (yes, with subtitles), each shot was beautifully framed (I kept thinking of early Polanski), the actresses were riveting, and the audience dead silent and totally engaged. This is a deeply emotional gem with a profound sense of existential mystery.… Expand

5 of 6 users found this helpful51

VinceM

Jun 19, 2014

This is a classic art film worth every minute of it's viewing. Everything seems to fit so perfectly, including the black and white filming which embellishes the themes of loneliness, deep secrets, loss and the meaning of life. Ida's stares are so emotional and expressive as she discovers soThis is a classic art film worth every minute of it's viewing. Everything seems to fit so perfectly, including the black and white filming which embellishes the themes of loneliness, deep secrets, loss and the meaning of life. Ida's stares are so emotional and expressive as she discovers so much of the world and her past for the very first time. Her few words are often unnecessary. Her Aunt is a study in extremes - her cold, controlling manner often shifts into passion and impulsivity. To pick up the nuances and details of the making of this fine film, see it again!… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

LowbrowCinema

Jun 1, 2014

It's so rare that a work of art whether film or dance or theater or visual art can live up to the superlative reviews and the gushing from critics, but IDA is such a work. A relatively short film of only 80 minutes that captures the near past, present and future of Europe in what amounts toIt's so rare that a work of art whether film or dance or theater or visual art can live up to the superlative reviews and the gushing from critics, but IDA is such a work. A relatively short film of only 80 minutes that captures the near past, present and future of Europe in what amounts to a road movie with only two characters. IDA shatters all expectations by making the personal truly political. In every way director Pawel Pawlikowski, in his first native language film, captures who we are and where we are going in a story that takes place in only a matter of days. This is art of the highest order that requires time and processing but so well worth the adventure.… Expand

3 of 4 users found this helpful31

adamjones

Jul 30, 2014

Saw this at the Music Box Theater in Chicago. Perhaps it was the theater that helped (a wonderful one if you have the chance to visit) but I was very pleasantly surprised by IDA. This film has a subtle style about it. It takes place in the early sixties (roughly) and specifically followsSaw this at the Music Box Theater in Chicago. Perhaps it was the theater that helped (a wonderful one if you have the chance to visit) but I was very pleasantly surprised by IDA. This film has a subtle style about it. It takes place in the early sixties (roughly) and specifically follows the cultural momentum of the relevant jazz music at the time, notably Coltrane. This helps to create a wonderful environment around the occurrences of the story.

Also, the interplay between the two main characters, Ida and her aunt, is very well done.

Definitely watch this one

8/10… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

amheretojudge

Feb 28, 2019

I, Solemly Vow.

Ida Pawlikowski's black and white anthem is not to be hummed along with but to be listened attentively, persistently and infinitely. This eerie relationship between a girl and her aunt, that has previously been explored in many ways in a side track, is the real truth of theI, Solemly Vow.

Ida

Pawlikowski's black and white anthem is not to be hummed along with but to be listened attentively, persistently and infinitely. This eerie relationship between a girl and her aunt, that has previously been explored in many ways in a side track, is the real truth of the film. Encountering someone for the first time in your life is always a sweet sugar-coated meet, but when someone with bitter language greets you and welcomes you with open arms, you are obliged to be hooked into it. And this is how Pawel Pawlikowski; the co-writer and director, reels you in, in his first act, a long lost elderly relative meeting you by describing you with the references of your parents, is something we can all connect with.

A cinematography that celebrates the authentic busyness and emptiness of other characters' lifestyle is how the maker is speaking with us. A hitchhiking friend inviting you, a woman asking for the blessings of a child and a man on his deathbed regretting his deeds. These gem like moments aside, Pawlikowski has a poised manner in even crafting out a musical sequence, lost in an abyss feeling, he jarres his viewers with silent pitches.

Anna (Agata Trzebuchowska) our rooting contender, is the familiar nun on the verge of claiming her vows, speaks very little through her words but aplenty with her eyes. Personally, I will be biased to her aunt Wanda played beautifully by Agata Kulesza whose character is simply more cinematic than any other. Brooding, mocking and judging every other person with generous body language, she is the soul reason why the film grows more compact and ironically free too. Ida is a love letter with very little romance in it, it is a ride you should take, that is all, no other bourgeois excuse required.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

mani8kgm

Sep 11, 2014

I have to say I was more than a little curious when I read the storyline. But the film, as it unfolds is just okay!
Not on my list of recommendations!

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

because5

Mar 1, 2015

unbelievably **** very bad movie, not worth watching. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

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