IDA (2013) – My rating: 8/10

I don’t usually review foreign films, but Ida was available to watch and received a couple of Oscar nods, so I decided to give it a shot.  I must say, Ida, which takes place in the 1960s, is sad and somewhat dark but very informative.  Ida (Agata Trzebuchowska) grew up in a convent in Poland as Anna and was all set to take her vows as a nun when she was ordered to go and visit her only living relative, an aunt on her mother’s side named Wanda Gruz (Agata Kulesza).  There she would find out the truth about her heritage and a little knowledge about the world in general.  No information was divulged to Ida, which meant she was going into an unknown situation blindly.  My guest is, they wanted her to be sure that being a nun was really what she wanted, given the unique circumstances she didn’t know about yet.    Through her aunt Wanda, a hard-drinking, sexually promiscuous judge, it is revealed that Anna’s actual name is Ida.  Many other secrets are brought to light and many decisions are made by all.  Ida’s parents were killed and buried somewhere in Poland.  Aunt Wanda and Ida set out to find the graves and the story of their demise.  IDA won several awards already and is a very well told story.

[IDA is nominated for Cinematography and Best Foreign Language Film]