Romeo and Juliet in Cold War Poland

Rating: 9/10 (14 November 2018)

The Polish movie Zimna wojna (2018) was shown in the U.S. with the translated title Cold War. It was co-written and directed by Pawel Pawlikowski.
The movie stars Joanna Kulig as Zula, a young woman whom we first see as a trainee at a folk dance school. It's there she falls in love with Wiktor, portrayed by Tomasz Kot.
Zula is a rural girl, whereas Wiktor is a sophisticated professional. Despite this, they fall desperately in love. The plot of the movie is that of star-crossed lovers who want to be free in a time when no one was free in Poland.
This was a very good movie, but not a great movie. Although the lovers endlessly say that they love each other, in my opinion the chemistry wasn't there. Also, they make very bad decisions for reasons they don't explain. So, partly, the star-crossed lovers are to blame for their bad fortune.
Still, although it's grim, the film does keep your interest throughout, and the music that they create is worth hearing.
The two protagonists are good actors, as is Borys Szyc, who portrays Kaczmarek. Kaczmarek probably would have chosen another role in life, but he accepts the situation as it is. He's the link between the dance group and the Polish/Russian Communist apparatus. He's always watching, and always seeing.
We saw this film at the excellent Little Theatre as part of the outstanding Rochester Film Festival. It will work well on the small screen.