Sechelt – Thurs. January 30
Gibsons – Mon. February 3 and Tues. February 4
Poland 2018, 89 min., drama/history
Director: Pawel Pawlikowski
Polish with English subtitles
Cold War is a 2018 Poland/ France/UK co-production, an historical drama set against a Cold War climate first in 1950s Poland, Berlin, Yugoslavia and, through to 1960s Paris. It is a sad, bittersweet, and lovely ballad of two lovers who can’t stand to stay apart but also sometimes can’t stand each other either.
Filmed in black and white, the detail is stunning, from the period costumes to the on-set locations, and it captures an authenticity to the time period that is utterly absorbing. Above all, it is a wonderfully memorable and immersive tale of promised, yet untenable, ill-fated love, in unforgiving times.
Widely-acclaimed, the film received 36 wins and 105 nominations, including three nominations for 2019 Oscars: best foreign language film, best director, and best cinematographer. It also had four nominations at the 2019 British BAFTA awards, including best direction and best foreign language film.