Ida (2013)

I like taking screenshots of movies. I love cinematography, and unlike photography, film doesn't really get a chance to feel as aesthetically permanent — that all these careful choices that cinematographers can't ever be fully appreciated, since films go through scenes so quickly. Which is why I like taking screenshots of pretty films.

I saw the film Ida about a month ago, and it was visually stunning — super unique with really cool compositions. I think the black and white, in addition to making the film feel more dated, also helped to enhance the compositional choices and the lighting of everything. It all seemed so dramatic and sculptural, especially with the drapery of their habits.

(Obviously, don't look at these/don't read the captions if you don't want spoilers!!)

The white of the snow was a really beautiful contrast to everything, and it set the mood and the tone and gosh I loved it.

Don't they look kind of insane?

The juxtaposition!! JUXTAPOSITION!!!

I love how at this point in the movie she just becomes another #relatableteen. Like, she likes this boy with messy brown hair because he's nice to her and plays in a band. I guess liking boys in bands is pretty much a timeless trope at this point.

I loved all the bizarre religious rituals in this film. The tenseness of it all. And the stoic camaraderie. Like a sorority...a really boring sorority.

I tried finding out more about this film after I watched it (as I do, monomaniacally, with most films I see), but there really wasn't much to read about. I did find out that they were having a hard time finding a girl to play Ida, but the casting director scouted Agata Trezebuchowska when she was hanging in a cafe. And she wasn't even an actress - she's a college student studying some cool, esoteric, liberal arts subjects in Poland. 

Apparently the director was skeptical because she just looked like an "ordinary hipster," but it all ended up working out brilliantly. I love how natural Ida was - it made the scenes where she got all dolled up for a date, like an average teenager, that much more special. And, of course, she's absolutely stunning.