Review: Cold War [2018]

I’ve been meaning to see “Cold War” for a long time, and finally I did it on Saturday, just in time before the Oscars. It tells the bittersweet love story between a musician and a singer, and their on and off relationship during 15 years and 4 different countries. 

Wiktor (Tomasz Kot) recruits Zula (Joanna Kulig) to be part of a musical group which promotes the Polish folklore, and they fall in love, but life is never easy. He is much older, of a different background and wants to escape the Soviet Union, she is younger and is afraid to flee. Their relationship goes up and down, but you never doubt their love for each other. 

I loved “Cold War”, so it’s obvious I found very few flaws to it. Besides the sometimes brutish transitions between scenes and events, and the sad, literally miserable ending, everything else was flawless. 

Let’s start with the visual aspect of it. The directing and the photography were absolutely stunning. There are so many memorable scenes that I loved watching and that will stay with me for a long time, and all of them include the lovers. The two of them on the field. Their lovemaking in the hotel. Their night adventures in Paris (especially the boat). The dancing. I’m in love. Like Sonia from A film a day said: “it’s like poetry for the eyes”, it’s beautiful. 

The acting was very good and the main actors had great chemistry, although I felt she was very closed off, a bit harder to read. But she is gorgeous and reminds me of Jessica Chastain. 

I also enjoyed the music, especially since it was based on Polish folklore. The song that is heard multiple times in the movie (about the two hearts and four eyes) is so melancholic, it reminds me of my national folklore (I’m also Eastern European). The idea of forming a band to promote this traditions was so cool, too bad politics got in the way. 

In conclusion, I loved “Cold War”. I would highly recommend it to everyone because it’s a great mix of European cinema and commercial storyline, with great acting and directing. I really hope it wins at least Best Foreign Film at the Oscars.