Ida, the new film by Pawel Pawlikowski, already stands as a favorite film of 2014 for this writer. I’ve seen it about three times already. It’s a beautifully shot film that more impressively harbors a multi-layered story featuring outstanding performances. My relationship with the film began when the director of the Miami Jewish Film Festival asked me to introduce it during the festival, earlier this year.
A couple of months later I wrote my review. Reverse Shot, a film blog/magazine co-founded by Michael Koresky, a critic whose name I grew familiar with from reading Film Comment and who now holds one of the best jobs any cinephile could desire: staff writer at the greatest home video company ever: The Criterion Collection. After sharing my Blue Is the Warmest Color review with him and receiving some positive feedback, I pitched him a review of Ida for Reverse Shot. He accepted and warned me it would be an intense editing session, and he did not disappoint. The last time someone edited my work with such vigor was when I wrote feature stories for the Miami New Times before the Internet age. It was challenging but refreshing. Above all, I think readers of this blog will still recognize my voice in the final review. Read it by jumping through the headline and by-line below:
Keeping the Faith
By Hans Morgenstern
Now Ida finally arrives in South Florida for a theatrical run. Particularly notable is the fact that it will be screened in that now dying, classic format, 35mm. The Coral Gables Art Cinema is the only movie house of the many theaters in South Florida that will present the rare print. All details about South Florida screenings can be found below. A shout-out to MJFF director Igor Shteyrenberg and Michael for inviting me to explore this movie with a depth I seldom have the luxury to experience, and I still love it. Take that as testament to the strength of this film.
Ida runs 80 minutes, is in Polish with English subtitles and is rated PG-13 (there are scenes of nudity and references to violence). It opens in South Florida this Friday, June 20, at the following venues:
(Copyright 2014 by Hans Morgenstern. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.)
