There is a lot that’s indistinct and even invisible in the discomforting thriller “Burning” from South Korean director Lee Chang-dong. "Cold War" sympathizes with those who know it is a blessing and a curse to have feelings outlive an affair. But in Pawlikowski’s film, there is a tragic beauty in Wiktor and Zula’s doomed-to-fail love. Under the lens of an unromantic reality, it’s possible to view these two lovers as mere hopeless mismatches. They are echoes of the way Humphrey Bogart looked at Ingrid Bergman in “ Casablanca,” how Omar Sharif looked at Julie Christie in “ Doctor Zhivago” and the glances Maggie Cheung gave Tony Leung during “ In the Mood for Love.”
Almost every note of the movie’s eclectic soundtrack-which ranges from forlorn Polish folk tunes to sultry French jazz-aches as much as the lovers’ wistful stares. Some details of the day fade, others grow sharper as you replay the scene over and over-even if that person is no longer in your life.īeyond its lovestruck appeal, the gorgeous black-and-white cinematography of “Cold War” enchants viewers with dazzling compositions, bringing intimate moments to an epic scale. There may only be a handful of times in life you lock eyes with someone like Wiktor and Zula do in Pawel Pawlikowski’s “Cold War.” You remember where you two met in that moment, what that person wore, who else was there and how you hung on their every word as you tried to hide how intensely you both looked at each other.
He’s quickly taken with her bold presence, and she soon follows his lead into a tempestuous relationship that will stretch years, borders and other partners. While auditioning peasant singers to perform these folk numbers on tour, Wiktor’s eyes meet those of a confident and mysterious blond, Zula ( Joanna Kulig). Inside the Iron Curtain of the 1950s, a rising composer named Wiktor (Tomasz Kot) and his producer, Irena ( Agata Kulesza), scour the Polish countrysides and mountaintops for folk songs to bring back to Soviet bloc cities. We’ll publish each critic’s individual list as the week goes on. About the rankings: We asked our regular film critics and assistant editors to submit top ten lists from this great year, and then consolidated them with a traditional points system-10 points for #1, 9 points for #2, etc.-resulting in the list below, with a new entry for each awarded film.
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