Cold War juxtaposes slow, patient individual scenes with very quick chronological transitions to jarring effect, but the acting and story are too heartfelt not to love

Rating: 7/10 (25 May 2019)

While on a scene-by-scene basis Cold War seems like a slow burn, really there's so much packed into each scene and implied beneath the surface that if you're not careful, you'll miss most of the movie. Pawlikowski has created an emotionally driven romance that also uses the political climate to heighten the tension of the film. Kulig's performance is exceptional as Zula, giving her character a distinct impulsive and bold personality. Her on-screen chemistry with Kot was strong and looked like a real, obsessive mutual attraction. It wasn't until late into the movie that I realized just how quickly their lives were changing - several times they meet in a country for just one scene and move on. While I'm impressed with Pawlikowski's ability to create a coherent and moving narrative in such a short runtime, I do think the emotional investment would have been heightened by having more time spent with the characters and seeing more of their events - the combination of slow takes and short time spent in any one location means we never really settle into a rhythm. To some degree that's an intentional directorial choice and representative of their relationship, but there were times they were clearly in love and met up in a city but there's no explanation for why one leaves or why they don't make any sort of long term plan. The script gave Zula tons of room to shine and really showcased her character, but Wiktor's character wasn't as distinct. The ending is beautiful but devastating. It's a strong film that I'm glad received so much support, and I only wish I had been more ready to be intellectually aware and interpret its subtext from the start.