Ida and the Cold War as (neo)modern movies

The subject of the article is the analysis of the latest films by Paweł Pawlikowski in terms of their affiliation to trends in contemporary cinematography. Ida and Cold War are sometimes described as the artistic heritage of the Polish Film School. The article focuses on the hypothesis that these films can, however, be attributed to the current of European neo-modernist cinema. Such a conclusion is based on the study of the author's creative path, the perception of Pawlikowski's work abroad and, above all, on the aesthetics of the films discussed in the article. The theoretical basis for these conclusions are the works by Andre Bazin on the visual side and on the content of the films (ambiguity of the world presented in the films). The article concerns the concept of ‘realism’ in the theory of the French critic. The second basis for conclusions is the work by Rafał Syska on the film trend known as neo-modernism. Paweł Pawlikowski's works meet many of Syska's postulates and seem to represent a poorly described trend present in Polish cinematography. It is a look at Ida and the Cold War that has not been included in Polish film research so far. Pawlikowski's works are in many ways similar to some Polish productions from the 1960s. Such films are classified by Justyna Żelasko as modernist cinema, against the tradition that they are usually associated with the Polish Film School. The composition of the film frames was also analyzed in reference to the nostalgic fashion called ‘lomography’.