Ida

         This new foreign film takes place in 1960's Poland and has a thin bare plot that is both unusual and very emotional. Anna is a orphan raised in a convent who is about to take her vows to become a nun when she learns of a living relative. Her Mother Superior sends her off to meet her aunt and it is then she learns her real name is Ida and that she was born Jewish.

          Anna/Ida and her aunt set off to learn the fate of her parents, killed in World War Two. The road trip taken by the two completely opposite women leads them down an emotional path that is both solemn and stark. The film is beautifully shot in black & white creating visual poetry in every frame.

          Agata Kulesza plays Anna/Ida and she conveys so much with very little dialog. Agata Trzebuchowska plays her aunt with heartbreaking resolve. It is a story of discovery and lost innocence, sad and humble yet somewhat remarkable in tender little moments.