the course of true love never did run smooth

Rating: 8/10 (21 November 2019)

In this post-war love story we follow the relationship of Wiktor, a musician involved in a project focused on folk music, and Zula, a woman who's trying to avoid problems with the law after almost killing her father. Wiktor during the auditions for the project, feels almost immediately for the young girl; later on she's also drawn to him. The movie doesn't really give any other reason for their affair besides pure attraction, probably to enhance the nature of romantic love; their love is real and that's all, no explanations or reasoning required. The folk music ensemble is very well accepted; however, since Poland was under the soviet regime they're pressured into including. pro-stalinist, communist propaganda in their performances - something that frustrates Wiktor and ends up convincing him to leave the country. He asks Zula to cross the border with him and she agrees to do so - and they affirm their love for each other; however, she does not show up and he ends up crossing the border alone. After a timeskip, we see him working in a jazz club in Paris. Wiktor and Zula reunite for a short time and once again both affirm their love for each other; she confesses that she didn't cross the border with him because she didn't believe it would work out. After their encounter, Wiktor goes to Yugoslavia to watch her in concert; she gets visibly shaken to see him there. After another timeskip she marries a man to get a visa and be able to be in Paris with Wiktor. Their relationship however faces some problems; Wiktor is way too caught in the artistic life, while Zula seems to get more and more frustrated. He eventually manages to build her a good career, but her personal needs are overlooked by him. Unhappy with all the situation she decides to go back to Poland. Wiktor tries to follow her, but since he fled Poland he can't claim nationality. Later on we see Zula visiting him in a work camp; he's been sentenced to fifteen years of labor and due to the deformed state of his hands he has no hopes of ever working in music again. Zula manages to get him out of there with some political help. When they finally reunite again they decide to run away once again, this time for good. They go to the ruins of a church to perform some sort of makeshift religious marriage; they take unspecified pills - probably something that would kill both of them. The film ends with both of them sitting together in the middle of nowhere, they go to the other side of the road and the camera shows them no more.

This movie portraits in a beautiful manner a relationship that was tragically interrupted by the tensions of a post-war world finds it almost impossible to be functional. The troubled nature of their love is shown whenever they're together; it is as if their love never really found a way to grow peacefully. However, the love never really ended no matter how many unfavorable situations they got into. In the end both were terribly wasted; both lost anything that could really support their love in a pratical manner - so the only way was to affirm it one last time. Double suicide was the solution they've found. This premise paired with the beautiful visuals of the movie, the amazing camera work, and the equally beautiful soundtrack really makes up for a emotional experience. Cold War is a beautiful portrait of a tragic love in post-war times; the perfect background to enhance the chaotic and sad nature of love. The experience is satisfactory, even though possible hopes for a happy ending were taken away; Ultimately, the meaning I find in all this experience is: If love is real then it will find a way, even if the way is tragedy.