Review of Ida

I didn't enjoy this film as much as I hoped to, but it's still pretty decent. I think a lot of my indifference towards it was that there wasn't enough to keep me on board with it. I've read some reviews which point out how Kulesza and Trzebuchowska show subtle changes as more insight about Ida's past is revealed, but while I don't doubt this is the case, acting usually doesn't matter a whole lot to me. I've said this in the past, but I'm generally not one who pays attention to acting, and it wasn't until the few minutes before Wanda's suicide where I began to feel something towards the acting. Of course, there are all kinds of tools a film can utilize other than acting to represent characters being shaped and changed, but aside from the final act, I didn't think there was a whole lot to this. So much time is spent on slowly revealing Ida's background and it wasn't until Ida and Wanda parted ways when their characters grew more interesting. Though yeah, the final act is pretty memorable, specifically due to Ida's arc. Even though I would've preferred it taking up more of the film, it's a compelling depiction of attempting to start a new life and being haunted by your past. The black and white cinematography is also lovely to look at since it contains multiple well-framed shots. In spite of enjoying the final act a good bit, however, I'd say this film was decent and I don't imagine it will stick with me. Interestingly enough, "My Summer of Love", the other film I've seen from Pawlikowski, gave me a similar reaction of not being on board with it until the final act. I'm curious now if this will be a pattern for his films.