History has borne witness to numerous upheavals that have shaken humanity to its core. From fanatics that aimed to build a superior race to dictators that massacred millions in the name of war, the blood of innocents continues to gush till today. Survivors of such callous acts are left helpless as they try to move on with their lives.
Set in a country still reeling from the brutality that was laid bare on its soil, Ida acts as a reminder of a time that was marred with bloodshed, secrecies and torrential aftermaths. Before she is allowed to take her vows, Anna (Agata Trzebuchowska), an orphaned young woman, is sent by her prioress to visit her aunt in Lodz. Innocent, naïve and devout, Anna has never stepped foot outside the convent and does not know anything about her family. She meets Wanda Gruz (Agata Kulesza), her aunt who is a minor state judge and a Communist Party member at her apartment. There, she informs her niece that she is Jewish and her real name is Ida Lebenstein. Brash, contemptuous and dismissive — Wanda preys on the girl’s inexperience, but only because Ida acts as a memoir of latent feelings for her. She begrudgingly agrees to a trip to her birth village to uncover the fate of her sister’s family.
Through this monochromatic masterpiece Paweł Pawlikowski brings out feelings of despondence and desolation that followed the catastrophic attacks of WW2. Homes were burnt down, people were massacred and lives were uprooted. However none of this is outrightly stated. Instead it is threaded into the atmosphere that surrounds the inhabitants whilst they walk on eggshells. Through the foreboding undertone that sweeps the nation, one realises the painful subjugation the Polish inhabitants find themselves wilfully ignoring in order to keep their loved ones safe.
Through the camera, cinematographers Lukas Zal and Ryszard Lenczewski evoke a sense of stillness and sparsity that fill the landscape. Despite being made in 2013, the film was intentionally shot in a 4:3 ratio to capture the spirit of the 1960s. The well structured frames encapsulate feelings of being trapped in an isolating past. With wide and vast shots peppered in to fill the gaps, the characters are insinuated to be metaphorically lost without a concrete sense of self and belonging. The camera acts as a passive observer, disassociating itself from the narrative through its distant positioning. The characters are positioned low in the frame to accentuate their insignificance amongst their blemished history with the composition being reminiscent of the Japanese.
Even though the camera remains static most of the time, it alters its movement towards the end of the film. After a romantic tryst with Lis, a musician that was picked up by the two women on their trip, Ida is shown walking down a street. The camera follows her as it tracks her up and down symbolising her newfound freedom as she indulges in worldly experiences.
Another conscious choice that points towards the director's ingenuity is the lighting. He supplements the use of artificial lights in favour of natural ones. This allows the women’s features to stay hidden, illustrating how little we know about them.
Through their haunting performances Trzebuchowska and Kulesza breathe life into the characters — without either women overshadowing each other. Wanda is portrayed as a tough, unlikeable, and rough individual who takes constant jabs at her niece. Yet as the story progresses, you cannot help but feel the weight of the debilitating guilt that she lives with. The arrival of Ida only forces her to confront the skeletons locked in her closet and unearth the ghosts of her past.
Ida, on the other hand, comes across as reserved and unreadable. When she learns of her family’s fate, one would expect her to break down bitterly like her aunt — yet she remains stoic. Should she mourn a family and a life she has never met or should she choose to push those feelings aside are some of the questions that the viewers are left with?
Words fall short to describe the horrific scars that have made up Poland’s turbulent history with it being an arduous uphill struggle for its citizens. Nevertheless Pawlikowski’s attempt to transport the audience to a never forgotten era proves to be fruitful as the film brims about with silence, chaos and disillusion.