Pawel Pawlikowski’s rapturous film of love among the ruins has emerged as one of the biggest surprises in this year’s Oscar race with nominations in Foreign Language Film, Cinematography and Directing. Cold War also won the ASC for Cinematography. What is it about this film that has captivated so many? It is the way Palikowski puts up so many obstacles in the way of two people in love. We can’t help but think of oppression because all we want to see is for these lovers to be free to luxuriate in each other. That is all they seem to want and yet, it remains, throughout most of the film, beyond their reach.
Palikowski is a master with the frame, each shot richly detailed with muted greys, deep velvety blacks, stark whites. The black and white cinematography is a way of cooling things down so that every time the man Wiktor (Tomasz Kot) and the woman, Zula (Joanna Kulig) come together the heat between them is all you can see.
The choice to shoot in 4:3 aspect ration recalls found footage from a forgotten time, as though the viewer has stumbled on a buried treasure that, once opened, an untold love story spills out. It’s as if carelessly discarded film footage made during that span of time had been rediscovered on reels that had not been unreeled or projected for decades. Further enhancing that effect is the way the scenes are but fragments. At first glance they don’t connect in a smooth narrative flow because there are often gaps of years in between each chapter. The editing doesn’t try to make segues, but instead puts beats of a blank screen between each sequence. We’re seeing nothing but glimpses, the same way foggy memories of the past can pop into our heads.
But no matter how well done this mid-century verisimilitude may be, it would be nothing but an artful conceit if it didn’t serve a purpose by drawing the audience in. Cold War is about Poland struggling to maintain its cultural identity under the oppressive thumb of Russia. But of course, it’s also about how the director’s own parents first met, were separated, reunited, and torn apart, time after time. Again, the square framing of isolated vignettes makes the viewer feel what it’s like to page through an old photo album of their own parents, to see moments from their lives captured in stark documentary black and white, to know the context of the era with no need to have the connecting events filled in — and the way that can make us ache to know more, and at the same time be grateful for the chance to see any scraps of evidence at all. The blank screen between sequences is like pages of that album being turned. Watching the lovers who will become your parents jump from youth to adulthood to middle age. The lives of our mom and dad flashing before our eyes. Not in an arc that’s easily traced, but in flickers we have to apprehend.
Because Pawlikowksi’s parents were thrown together in tumultuous times, it’s a miracle of happenstance that they ever met and connected at all. And man, do they ever connect, with all the passionate urgency of any couple who knows that their time together can be interrupted at any moment by social and political chaos. And then after being separated by circumstance beyond their control, some kind of magnetic attraction often referred to as Fate keeps causing their paths to cross and reigniting the fire that never got doused out but always remained a glowing ember. Again, all this beyond their control. Personally, I love this groove in novels and movies, because it clicks with my own experience of riding life’s waves and trusting in serendipity to take me where I need to be, right time right place, come what may.
In the end, though, that kind of continued campaign becomes too overbearing to fight, and the only answer left is to submit or take a different way out.
Cold War feels more like a movie about resisting the waves of oppression that are sprouting up all over the world, and indeed here in America. By offering up the opposite of war, the opposite of coldness – by offering two people who would die to be together – we are reminded of what we must never lose when waves of political oppression threaten to choke us off from who we are, where we come from and how we define ourselves.
So on a deeper level of almost subconscious hypnotic imagery, the director is trying to capture on film the Big Bang that brought him into existence, and how that almost didn’t happen, seemed at times doomed not to happen, but then a spark of zeitgeist united in an orgasm zygote that turned into the human being who is now making hypnotically entrancing movies for whole planet to see and think about and ponder. Then there’s another thread in the tapestry about the importance of music and song in passing along memories that can’t otherwise be adequately expressed, and the way the changing rhythms of the times reflect the growing maturity of the man and the woman as they struggle to improvise a melody out of all the noise of their culture in crisis, and they way they gracefully manage to express that in a way that only music can do.
Cold War sounds like a bolder alternative to Roma bolder cos director and producers clearly RESPECT their material to have courage to be authentic and to ensure film they make (hence what i mean by authentic) is not susceptible to modern political leniences…in short it sounds like a film works purely on it own merit..totally separate from politics of today and i stil under very strong suspicion Roma ‘s producers (cuaron notwithstanding)( orchestrrated timing of it release to coincide with hotbed politics of USA today. Wherea Cold War clearly stays true to its form..resists temptation to leave the gate open to adapting modern political ideology …frankly i strongly feel either Black Panther/ Green Book/ Blackkklansman deserves win best picture above Roma and foreign language if that happens i give it to Cold War over Roma..there jsut too much background politics that people can tie into Roma that you cannot with Cold War…
On this, Aaron, you and I agree . 🙂
and tell me did you get my apology to you which was sincere ? if you read what i wrote jenny i also addressed it to you ‘salute’ respect i pledge to you…and in fact i hope you aware once i know context of where person comes from and..just bit more insight into their background and especially when one gets such appraisal from someone of quality of Ryan…combined with your deep insightful response i look beyond point we may disagree and to see and valuye your mentoring role to Ryan and indeed original members since post- oscar watch era.
Do you apprecite my sincere sentiment? oh for record if you agree with me bout ‘cold war’ being considerably better as alternative worthy best picture contender (if only it were nominated) to roma then i fail to see..once you take politics out of equation (focus on mexico, protest of border wall) what significance does roma have to reflect global film world today?
I prob wont get to see Cold War sadly at all…i admit last foreign language film i appctd was ‘crouching tiger hidden dragon’ however, i did feel academy got it right when GLADIATOR won shame ridley scott long been pioneer to innovation in film in modern era should have won best director…but i still saw merit in ‘crouching tiger’ winnning some awards too..
(so to double down my reference to you ‘coming from a country divided conflicted etc’ there is truth i still believe that..and i do have concern very much that film festivals hosted from countries that are rank in social/ cultural clashes and division see..film they eventually award through rose coloured glasses…’ but let me assure you as i salute you to show ‘respect’ there are outstanding individuals who demonstrate wisdom and integrity and you share that with Ryan, hence you share we can all learn from that.
Yes i admit there MIGHT be some individuals who host these internaitonal film festivals but it take lot to convince me..when you look at pattern of films that won best picture whether be Berlin film festival but more concerning Cannes etc….ok they can pick whatever film of ‘finalists’ they want to win,
BUT…..there are dangers as reflected with very mixed public- global reaction for academy to allow themselves be influenced by certain festivals driven by narrow political agenda.
Ever since the ‘me too’ movement for instance, the theme of female victimization has been echoed relentlessly since that time..i sure i not alone thinking that..the politics of the time..seemingly distory film festivals judgement to look at film purely on merit..and instead lend themselves to cause of activism through political juxtapositioning.
I ask is THIS the way academy should be determining final shortlist of oscars by time final nominations are announced?
Cold War from what i hearing and what you guys telling me if i were to rate competition meter based on nature and extent of positive feedback between Roma and Cold War? I could say there little doubt far less people have complaints about flaws and shortcomings in contrast to ‘Roma’
These films festivals i believe have potential to compliment and assist to globalize and elevate the academy to the stratosphere..but by i feel no of others do generating and ‘echo chamber’ of real politics dictating preferences for which films end up competing for glory in both oscars and film festivals in last few years at LEAST, I think that it incredibly risky to oscars declining public credibility to expose film goers and film fans globally to very issues that appear on news every single day in a 24 hr media cycle…then it becomes more apparent political activism drives certain films to favouritism over films that on basis of common sense, to public should end up being either:
a) more nominations for films that get nominated less than they deserve ala Black Panther should scored best director, supporting actor, editing, cinematography or wait well it got nominated for those techs shoulda been nominated for least 3 others with min 10 nominations.
b) films like ‘First Man’ , ‘If Beale st could talk’ , ‘mary poppins returns’, ‘stan and ollie’, ‘on basis of sex’, a ‘private war’ have all been sacrificed cos they were not ‘political’ either by implication or reflection of political state of the states today.
So i stand by the risks of oscars lending so much of their dependence to determine best films (as they did last year with shape of water and few years in last 5 years not all those years mind you) before that, through divided conflicted tainted film festivals in certain countries rank wtihy division and conflict and political tension (like france , like belgium, like germany, bascially most of central europe sadly).
And i say sadly cos i no doubt if political activists lure were resisted by events judges and organizers of these festivals you have far superior foreign and non- foreign entrants to compete for each film festivals glory, merit would take priority over political gesturing, and public would have more consistent respect for judgement of no of film festivals and subsequently it would be safer back with less outcry bny film goers who support 50% of film industry at least after all who are movies made for? industry for industry sake? doubt it.
Then we would be talking how good ‘cold war’ is as best picture contender and well..Roma would be where it should be frankly handful of noms far less than it got, and only best foreign language film.
What do you think Pierre, my friend? but yes there always ray of hope when one learns as i have to separate cultural background of current state of a country politcally such as where your from (i really am soo sorry truly that your country men in france have such conflict, tension, anger, riots,- seem be norm in no of countries round world sadly ey?) but when i see individuals as well informed as yourself, i reminded always ray of hope there are albeit in my view far too few for instance on judges panel whether it be academy or film festival directors internationally, there are people like you with insight independent mindedness to think clearly see films on merit..
so do you accept my apology and your thoughts on some points i made do we REALLY disagree that much after all?
Great article, Sasha.
Great piece, Sasha! Cold War is one of my top 5 films of 2018.
Sasha’s Anything But Roma series continues
Andrew’s constant whining continues.
Do you hate Cold War now too, dude?
Do you hate any movie we write about if it’s not Roma?
Can’t you appreciate the artistry of other movies without saying, “Yeah but it’s not Roma, is it? So what’s the point?”
Someone pours their heartfelt effort into writing about a movie that means a lot to millions of people and you think it’s clever to plop down and pout because we take a moment to spotlight a movie that’s not Roma.
Sickening and boring.
Andrew, my view is that Cold War is a better film than Roma. For example, the former has a better script, richer characters, better acting and cinematography and more compellingly unfolds. I haven’t noticed a so-called campaign on this site to push anything but Roma, as you suggest.
“Andrew, my view is that Cold War is a better film than Roma. For example, the former has a better script, richer characters, better acting and cinematography and more compellingly unfolds.”
Strongly agree with all of that. It’s very difficult to find any aspect in which Roma is better than Cold War. Maybe sound, I don’t know…
COLD WAR is certainly superior to any of the 8 nominated Best Picture movies. But, that’s often the case with the Foreign Language category having superior choices.
I would also add that the 4×3 Black & White photography doesn’t only evoke ” found footage from a forgotten time” – but, it’s Pawlikowski’s way of tying in COLD WAR with the tradition of 50s & 60s European post-war cinema. There are echoes of Bergman, DeSica, Antonioni and, of course, fellow great Polish filmmaker Andrzej Wajda.
I’d have ranked it about fourth, if it had been the ninth nominee.
I think it would have needed to break through for Original Screenplay and Joanna Kulig in Actress for it to have been #4, but it would have been #1 in quality among the nominees if it had gotten in.
Yes. Not listing it according to chances of winning, simply quality,
Yeah, like JoeS, I, too, was only talking about its quality. 🙂
Wonderful write-up! After some thought (and watching the remaining films I intended to), I can safely call this my favourite film of 2018.
Sasha, you’ve perfectly captured the feeling of the movie. The performed music drew me in and the cinematography was just amazing. I will watch this movie again when it streams on amazon prime. I can see why it won the ASC over Roma. I have to say the cinematography was the best thing about Roma to me but I will say that the beach scene does make it more uplifting than Cold War. However, I doubt I could ever watch Roma again, the pace was too slow and that dog shit really annoyed me.
Thanks for this article – certainly one of my favorite films this year!
“The choice to shoot in 4:3 aspect ration recalls found footage from a
forgotten time, as though the viewer has stumbled on a buried treasure
that, once opened, an untold love story spills out.”
Yes, and furthermore it also illustrates the way the characters are captured in different forms of repression (the communist world) and dependence (the capitalistic world) with fewer options as the story proceeds – until the very last “option”.