Newcomer Agata Trzebuchowska delivers a fresh portrayal of the young girl.

Poland, a cinematic powerhouse that has produced numerous masterpieces from the "Polish School" of filmmakers who astonished the world in the late 1950s, including Roman Polanski, continues to exert immense influence on the film industry even today. Now, Pawel Pawlikowski, a leading figure of the new generation of contemporary Polish cinema, arrives with 'Ida,' a film that depicts the light and shadow of post-war Eastern Europe.

Director Pawlikowski was born in Warsaw in the late 1950s, during the rise of the "Polish School." He left communist Poland at age 14 and has since directed films across Europe. This is his first film made in his beloved homeland. Through minimalist visuals—shot in black and white, utilizing a classic standard aspect ratio, and featuring sparse dialogue—the film portrays the "growth of a young girl."



The lead role of Anna, an 18-year-old novice nun, is played with remarkable freshness by Agata Trzebuchowska, who had no prior acting experience. In contrast, the role of Wanda, Anna's aunt who accompanies her on her journey to find clues about her parents, is played with eccentric flair by veteran actress Agata Kulesza. The casting is a stroke of genius.

'You are Jewish.' A sudden revelation of the girl Anna's past.

Poland, early 1960s. Anna, raised as an orphan in a convent, is informed of her aunt's existence by the Mother Superior one day. Intrigued by the aunt she has never met, Anna visits her, only to be shocked by the words spoken by her aunt.



'Your name is Ida Lebenstein, and you are Jewish.' Her past is suddenly revealed. Why were her parents' abandoned? Ida embarks on a journey with her aunt to uncover the truth of her origins.

Incorporating modern jazz for its score and skillfully weaving in homages to the "Polish School," the film poetically depicts a young girl's transformation into a woman of conviction. It portrays an era buffeted by the waves of history—the tragedy of the Holocaust and the oppression of communism—with a lyrical touch, symbolizing the spirit of Poland's new generation.



'Ida'
Opens Saturday, August 2nd, at Shibuya Theatre Image Forum.
Director | Pawel Pawlikowski
Starring | Agata Kulesza, Agata Trzebuchowska, Dawid Ogrodnik
Distribution | Mermaid Films
2013 | Poland | 80 min
http://mermaidfilms.co.jp/ida/

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