Movie Monday | A Foreign Photography Monologue

Basically, this is what Ida should be classified as. The foreign film from Poland up for Best Foreign Language Film and Achievement in Cinematography seems to be nothing more than a collection of fantastic still shots. They are, indeed, fantastic. In fact, many of them I commented out loud that I could see them hanging on my wall. I also took note that this director focused much more on capturing the frame, as a whole, rather than worry about the actors. The actors simply walked in and out of the frame.

Perhaps this explains the latter nomination for Ida. It’s a noteworthy shooting style, something that caught my attention, produced a reaction and stuck with me for days after seeing it. But for the same reason, I can’t justify the other nod. Because the characters seemed so minuscule amidst this storyteller’s work, I didn’t really feel anything for them. The nun who meets her aunt and travels a short road of self discovery prior to taking her vow seemed like another stab at Philomena – one not nearly as funny, endearing or emotional. I get the message, but I appreciate the look of this film a whole lot more than I do the plot. In my opinion (and I already know those of you who strikingly disagree), this would have made more sense as a coffee table book.

Let’s see what else you got, Poland.