Ida is a fictional drama set in post WWII Communist Poland and follows the titular character, an orphaned novice nun. Before she takes her vows, Ida must meet her only family, an aunt, Wanda. Ida’s first impression of Wanda is a disapproving one. They are polar opposites. After extreme reluctance, Wanda seizes the opportunity to enthusiastically confront their family past and immerses her reluctant niece in a hedonistic, merciless and hypocritical world. Both women are left shaken after their time together and have identity crises that may dramatically change their futures.
I watched Ida soon after The Flat, and I think that Ida suffered from the juxtaposition. I find nuns intriguing, and I was not interested in Ida as a character at all. I’m supposed to believe that a jazz musician would be smitten with Ida. Nope. I thought this movie was set in the real world, not some Disney fantasy where men propose marriage after a couple of encounters. Even the dramatic historical plot twist only made her interesting in a Dickensian main character way.
Can I get a movie called Wanda instead? Ida’s aunt was a fascinating living breathing contradiction. She is both the victim and perpetrator depending on the historical time period, but she is unaware of her present guilt and only immersed in her grief. Her fearless outrage combined with her dissolute lifestyle makes for an intoxicating narrative about survivor’s guilt. Her final scene is the best in Ida-understated yet dramatic.
I have little historical knowledge of post WWII Communist Poland, but I found it jarring how Ida depicted most Poles as constantly Catholic even in the way that they address people yet it is supposed to be a Communist country. Did people greet Ida that way because of her habit or would they have greeted anyone that way? I won’t know by watching Ida because the film focused on a nun.
While I agree that Ida was beautifully shot in black and white, for me, it did not live up to the hype, and the trite virgin whore trope overshadowed the historical narrative.