Cold War
Pawlikowski's Cold War is one of if not the best movie created by Poles this century (tbh I have a big backlog, when it comes to movies made in my own country, but I am still not affraid to say that). On the first glance it is a simple love story (imo, in many ways similar to La La Land), but the setting of post-IIWW Europe elevates the dramaturgy. What makes this movie really special is cinematography and cast. As much as I love to make fun of directors making their movies black and white and in 4:3 aspect ratio for the sake of making it look more artsy, I have to admit I Cold War had to look this way. And, oh my god, it looks georgious. The way the shots are cropped and lit is just incredible. If one of the protagonists is a part of the scene you will always be able to find him or her even if they are part of the background crowd and far from the center of attention. Lead duet is played by two great Polish actors with Tomasz Kot grounding his position as of the greatest polish actors of this generation, but still being overshadowed by stunning Joanna Kulig with her beautiful voice (btw music in this movie is great).
After watching this movie I can just say it is an absolute shame that the next Pawlikowski's project, The Island with Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara was killed by pandemic. Hopefully, he will have more luck this time, as he just started filming another movie.