Ida

Question 1

Who is Ida directed by?

Answer 1

The film is directed by Pawel Pawlikowski.

Question 2

Who stars in Ida?

Answer 2

The film stars Agata Trzebuchowska as Anna and Agata Kulesza as Wanda.

Question 3

Analyse the discovery scene.

Answer 3

• Follows Ida, Wanda and Feliks discovering the grave of Ida’s parents and Wanda’s son.
• The cinematography starts with an establishing shot of the three characters walking to the woods.
• The characters are small and insignificant at the bottom of the shot while the field and trees are tall and imposing.
• The framing makes the characters uncentered and on the borders of the shot, a stylistic choice used throughout the film to create a sense of isolation and discomfort.
• The framing also breaks the immersion.
• The black and white colour filter makes the woods unsettling and sinister.
• The black and white colour filter along with the academy aspect ratio represents the past and makes the film seem like an authentic post-war film.
• The shot remains at a high-angle while Feliks sits in the grave, forcing the audience to look down on him.
• The cut to Wanda switches the focus, with only the lower half of Ida being visible due to the aspect ratio.
• The silence of the forest creates a dreary, eerie and unsettling atmosphere emphasised by the diegetic ambient sound of Feliks digging.
• Feliks’ concession prompts sombre orchestral music, one of the few musical tracks in the film, which heightens the emotion and sadness of the scene and leaves a substantial impact on the audience.
• The scene reflects the truth about Jewish persecution during the war, with Feliks representing those who hid the truth after the war.

Question 4

Analyse the apartment scene.

Answer 4

• The scene opens with Wanda alone in her bathtub, showing Wanda’s loneliness and sorrow.
• The scene reflects Wanda’s guilt over her role as a Communist state prosecutor.
• The window in the corner of the room has a glow that foreshadows the end of the scene.
• The scene is silent until Wanda plays diegetic orchestral music, which is contrapuntal music that contrasts with the tone of the scene.
• The window is framed in the middle of the shot, meaning the audience focuses on it.
• The shot remains fixed, with Wanda leaving the shot to give the audience time to take in the setting.
• Wanda returns to the shot, getting closer to the open window and creating suspense, before leaving the shot again.
• Wanda returns to the shot a third time and silently jumps out of the window, leaving a shocking impact on the audience as there is little build up or warning.
• The diegetic music continues to play after Wanda has jumped, maintaining the shocking nature of the scene.