Touching Love Story

Rating: 8/10 (23 October 2018)

A love story set across 15 years and many countries. The film opens in 1949 with Wiktor (Tomas Kol) and Irena (Agata Kulesza) collecting folk songs and music in the mountains of Southern Poland. Along with administrator Lech (Borys Szyc) they set up an Institute to form a Folk Song and Dance Troupe. During the auditions for students Wiktor notices a student, Zula (Joanna Kulig), who though not technically a perfect singer has something special. Two years later They become lovers and admits that she has spied on him for Lech (she is still on probation from prison), a party hack. Lech has already persuaded the Troupe to include songs praising Stalin into their folk song repertoire. When the Troupe visits East Berlin Zula agrees to defect to the West with Viktor, but changes her mind.
Over the following 12 years they meet at intervals, pursuing a love which never seems to properly work out. Two artists, occasionally working together even living together in Paris, striving to find that perfect synthesis of love and music. Wiktor makes great sacrifices to try and be with Zula but he doesn't fully appreciate the losses she also suffers from pursuing their seemingly doomed relationship. Zula would always be scarred by her early life experiences and her doubts that their relationship could ever work. Great performances from Kulesza and Kol as the star-crossed lovers and Szyc as the scheming bureaucrat who carries a torch for Zula. Filmed in sparkling monochrome, director Pawel Pawlikowski delivers a veritable saga in Cold War's 85 minute running time. 8/10.