Ida (2013)

How appropriate: Immediately after a film with almost no female presence, I watch one in which the female presence outweighs the male presence. Both connect to WWII, only in retrospect in this case. You see, a Polish woman in her early 20s, who has spent most of her life in an abbey and is preparing to become a nun, learns that her parents were Jews and had given her a different first name from "Anna." This being the early '60s, you can guess how they might have gotten separated. She does have one known living relative, Aunt Wanda, who will reluctantly help her search for answers.

You're most likely to have heard of Ida via the latest Academy Awards, where it won Best Foreign-Language Film. But before I even knew of its nomination, I had taken Netflix's strong recommendation to put it on my list. Of course, one look at the deliberately black and white cover told me that it wouldn't exactly be fun.

The most interesting aspect is the interplay between Ida and Wanda. Wanda is a judge in the socialist system, fairly feared and respected but sometimes in drink-related trouble. She also smokes, sleeps around, and generally conveys little regard for anything at first. (We never do find out how she survived the Holocaust.) Ida brings out her suppressed caring side little by little, but the influence goes both ways: Several casual...unnunly...acts ensue before Ida's initiation ceremony, almost like a slow bachelorette party.

That's about where the joy ends. I won't tell you what happened to the rest of the family or how the two women reacted to the information. Let's just say the B&W was a wise choice.

Actually, that wasn't the only way in which it was a wise choice. Many of the scenes were beautifully shot, and I doubt whether they'd look better in color. That said, some camera angles were off center and awkward enough to remind me of Play. Be prepared for the yellow subtitles sometimes appearing at the top of the screen. And occasionally coming in several seconds late, tho it barely matters given the characters' tendency toward long pauses. (With her wimple, cute face, and moments of eerie stillness, Ida invoked Girl with a Pearl Earring in more than one mind.)

I watched with three other adults. We all agreed to give it four stars out of five. It's hard to love a film like this, but reverence comes easily enough.