As beautiful and touching as it is tragic and heartbreaking

Rating: 9/10 (3 December 2018)

The backdrop of COLD WAR has it's origins in a society whose culture has been quite literally bombed into nirvana. The story picks up at a time when the most resilient remains are beeing scraped together.
It depicts two sides, both of which are trying to instrumentalize the few surviving flower blossoms - one for good, the love of art, cultural heritage and a form of artistic patriotism. The other one for evil, political gain and brainwashing propaganda. And two lovers are caught in the midst of it.
COLD WAR portrays art as enduring, yet as fragile and pure as love (and vice versa). A love that needs to be preserved and nurtured with all one's strength and cannot be forced.
The film reminds me in it's unfolding of Richard Linklater's BEFORE trilogy - love just meant to be and doomed to fail at the same time. It's as beautiful and touching as it is tragic and heartbreaking.