‘Ida’
The film ‘Ida’ (2013) caught me by surprise. This BAFTA and Oscar winner is filmmaker Paweł Aleksander Pawlikowski’s tenth film, by my estimate. It is a quiet, stark film that touches on themes that matter to me: healing, justice, moving on from hatred, making peace with the past or letting it destroy us…
This film places a girl who has grown up cloistered alongside her bohemian aunt, both of whom must deal with the past. The beautiful black and white cinematography confronts us gently, not allowing us to escape the story. In contrast, you do not go away from the story with the ability to judge any of the characters in ‘black and white’. You do not see much violence, though it is almost palpable. You do not see evil, but you know it is there. Mostly, it tells me that dealing with the past requires a journey: through time, across landscapes, to places…
The story wrestles with innocence and experience, religious heritages, social justice, and what is worth fighting for in a world that might make you stop believing. It may also hint at a remembrance of Auschwitz, where the filmmaker’s grandmother died.
A scene I really liked was when a musician tells the young novice, ‘you have no idea how you impact people.’
While the end of the story might surprise or frustrate you, it will certainly spark a conversation. The film involves you in a story of devastation, beauty and generational healing.
Daniel, February 2020
*image posted under fair use of copyright material in recommendation of the film © Sundance Institute
3 Comments
Submit a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Recent Posts
Listening to Stories from Around the Globe
Learning to engage with stories through film has been a major field of precious discovery for me in the past decades. It has given me more than one life. It has offered me a rich palette of human and cultural colors in life’s diverse experiences and challenges. I have been allowed to share in the challenges, the joys and the griefs people have experienced in a multitude of cultural situations, some very similar to my own, many very different to mine. It has helped me to understand better my own perceptions, emotions, strengths and weaknesses. I am sure that it has enhanced my empathy, to understand better how the same experience can impact people in very different ways.
Exercises in Imagination
The word that stays with me after the closure of our local Gothenburg film festival is imagination. I am once more impressed by the potential of film to stir and exercise the imagination. I have been allowed to think thoughts and explore emotions that I would not have done without the films I’ve watched. The ability to see beyond our currently experienced reality towards new possibilities is so important for our emotional well-being. It energizes, reduces stress and enhances empathy.
My Best Films of 2025 – from Rinus
From 2019 onward I have shared with you my list of the best films of the past year. My list contains the films that I truly care about and have communicated something to me that I continue to carry with me. They have the potential to prompt valuable discussions aligned with our Nexus key ideas. Of course, this list is limited to the ones I managed to see throughout the year. Some of the films I’ve written about during 2025. In my short introductions to each film, I’ve used parts of those longer presentations that you will find in the film section.
Anything that helps us value that which can’t be measured with numbers—I’m for! I saw this film, and like you said, also for me it had a quiet and deep impact.
Your recommendation led me to revisit Ida, which I saw about five years ago. It reminded me of the fact that the best films don’t completely reveal themselves the first time through, demanding viewings separated by the passage of years. I fully agree that this masterpiece of Pawlikowski, although shot in black and white, still shines brightly as the moving and intimate drama it is.
We watched this film a few years ago and your comments encourage me to revisit the story. I look forward to a deeper reflection on the whole process of journey and self-discovery leading toward healing.