Reply to Topic
Anna is an orphan and about to take her vows to become a nun. Before she does this she is sent away to meet her last surviving relative - a hard drinking, smoking, promiscuous aunt - to find out about her 'real' family, and to uncover the reasons why she was abandoned so many years ago. It turns out her real name is Ida, and she's not who she thinks she is. With impeccable logic, her aunt suggests to Ida that she should try out a few 'carnal pleasures' so that at least if she commits herself to vows of poverty, chastity and obedience they might actually mean something. And it's the quest for meaning that haunts this film. Set in early 1960s Poland, the shadows of the past, particularly the Second World War, still stretch deep into the lives of its inhabitants. Whilst on the surface there's a simple family drama being played out, its the unspoken presence of something much greater and darker that haunt each unbalanced frame of this captivating black and white film. 10/10
