--- title: "Cold War: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/cold-war/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/cold-war" critics_score: 88 critics_reviews: 16 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Cold War (2018): what the critics said Critics' score 88 from 16 reviews: 16 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. The consensus is strongly positive, with praise clustering around Pawel Pawlikowski’s economical storytelling, the black-and-white compositions and Joanna Kulig’s performance. Most critics find the central romance passionate and melancholy, with the leads giving substance to a relationship shaped by political division and exile. Music earns particular attention: the changing songs and styles help carry the lovers across years and borders. The reviews also admire the period detail and the precision of the framing. The main reservation concerns how much feeling survives that formal restraint. The Evening Standard admires the style but finds the central relationship less moving than hoped. The Playlist goes further, arguing that the restraint and narrative choices make the characters difficult to connect with. The spread is chiefly between enthusiastic approval and admiration with reservations, rather than outright dissent; what many critics value as economy, others find emotionally distancing. ## The Times — Kevin Maher Rating ★★★★★. 31 August 2018. Love, politics and creative obsessions collide in this sad and often unutterably beautiful masterpiece. Kulig gives an effortlessly empathetic performance in the meatier role, and the film features some of the year’s most ravishing black-and-white images in academy ratio. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/article/film-review-cold-war-h555cwb3k) ## Time Out — Phil de Semlyen Rating 5/5. 10 May 2018. Pawel Pawlikowski’s epic love story is an achingly romantic, melancholy joy and a dazzling, painful universal odyssey through the human heart. The monochrome Academy-ratio framing and standout performances, especially Joanna Kulig’s, create one of the most colourful things in black and white. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/cold-war) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 20 December 2018. The critic calls the film a passionate, tempestuous and haunting white-hot romance that smolders despite its title, praising its assured direction, convincing performances and gorgeous black-and-white cinematography. It singles out the volatile central relationship and the director’s personal dedication to his parents as making the story feel immediate and dazzling. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-cold-war-review-20181220-story.html) ## The Guardian — Mark Kermode Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 2 September 2018. Pawlikowski delivers a sweeping, searing love story inspired by his parents, spanning 15 years across postwar Europe with music, politics and passion at its core. Joanna Kulig gives a star-making performance of astonishing range as Zula. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/sep/02/cold-war-pawel-pawlikowski-review-mark-kermode) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 18 December 2018. The critic calls it a stunning love story told through love songs, visually stunning, passionate, wistful, and thoughtful. It singles out Joanna Kulig's astounding performance and the way music evolves with the characters for praise. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2018/12/cold-war-review.html) ## Slant Magazine Rating 3.5/4. 11 May 2018. Festival review. The critic finds it striking for its precise calibration of narrative minimalism and aesthetic elementalism, breaking from the formalism of Ida. It singles out the obsessively detailed period settings and reverently curated soundtrack for praise while noting it sometimes reins in emotional depth. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/cold-war/) ## Radio Times — Jeremy Aspinall Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). Following the success of Ida, Pawlikowski delivers a mesmerising romantic drama loosely inspired by his parents’ relationship spanning decades across postwar Europe. The crisp monochrome cinematography and luminous performance by Joanna Kulig add to an utterly entrancing experience. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-2r0dfn/cold-war/) ## IndieWire — David Ehrlich Rating B+. 11 May 2018. Festival review. The critic describes it as one of the bleakest love stories ever told, a broken love story about broken people in a broken country. It praises the director's ability to capture the tempestuous relationship across time and borders. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/cold-war-review-pawel-pawlikowski-cannes-2018-1201962858/) ## Little White Lies — David Jenkins Rating 4/4/3. 11 May 2018. Festival review. This miniature monochrome epic is an extraordinary piece of cinematic craftsmanship that straddles the east-west divide in post-WWII Europe. The film excels in its visual style and personal ambitions as characters navigate love across political ideologies and borders. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/festivals/cold-war-cannes-review) ## The Telegraph — Tim Robey Rating 4/5. 30 August 2018. Pawlikowski’s companion piece to Ida is a silvery black-and-white tale of star-crossed lovers whose relationship mirrors its own kind of cold war. It is pristine and jazzy, emotionally aloof by design yet accessible, with strong performances and a melancholy about not knowing what you’re looking for. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/cold-war-review-love-finds-way-jazzed-up-war-torn-poland/) ## Variety — Guy Lodge Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 10 May 2018. Festival review. The critic describes the film as a transfixing, ellipsis-filled star-crossed romance that moves to its own restless jazz-infused rhythm while returning to the meticulous monochrome aesthetic of the director’s previous work. It singles out the lead performances and the lovingly handpicked soundtrack for elevating the cyclical love story across borders and years. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2018/film/reviews/cold-war-review-1202804041/) ## Empire — Andrew Lowry 28 August 2018. The critic praises the film as moving, rich in period detail and beautifully acted, with striking visuals and elegant handling of its themes in a short runtime. Kulig’s performance and the precise compositions stand out for praise. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/cold-war-review/) ## Evening Standard — David Sexton 11 May 2018. Festival review. The critic calls it the best film in competition at Cannes so far, noting its ravishing style and eloquence on life under totalitarianism versus exile, though the central relationship does not wholly move the viewer as hoped. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/cannes-2018-cold-war-zimna-wojna-review-a-twisting-tale-of-lovers-lives-torn-apart-by-the-iron-curtain-a3836466.html) ## Film Comment — Ela Bittencourt 30 October 2018. The critic describes it as a spirited albeit flawed entry in the tradition of Polish exile cinema. She singles out the shrewd use of folklore and Joanna Kulig’s captivating performance for praise while noting some clichéd romantic tableaux. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/article/review-cold-war/) ## Screen Daily 10 May 2018. Festival review. Pawel Pawlikowski follows up Ida with this story of two lovers in 1950s Poland, a seductively intimate love story drenched in music and buffeted by the turbulence of post-war Europe. At a focused length, it is glorious, sophisticated film-making with arresting lead performances and thrillingly liquid camerawork in the Polish sequences. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/cold-war-cannes-review/5129035.article) ## Sight and Sound — Tony Rayns 29 August 2018. Pawlikowski triumphs with a romantic epic cut down to evocative episodes featuring luscious monochrome photography and an unimprovable cast. The director proves remarkable economy in handling a fragmentary narrative across 15 years while rooting the story in music and a pessimistic view of authoritarian states hobbling personal relationships. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/film-week-cold-war-dances-music-hard-times) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Leslie Felperin 10 May 2018. Festival review. The critic calls it a bittersweet and unbearably lovely sad ballad of two lovers who cannot stay apart yet sometimes cannot stand each other. It singles out the eclectic soundtrack and exquisite black-and-white cinematography for praise while noting the anti-romantic message about flawed lovers. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/cold-war-film-review-1110299/) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis Rating Critic’s Pick. 20 December 2018. The critic finds the film a seductive black-and-white romance that turns suffering into high style with just enough politics for heft. The standout elements are the two knockout lead performances that supply the story’s heat, flesh and heartbreak. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/20/movies/cold-war-review.html) ## The Skinny — Joseph Walsh Rating ★★★★★. 11 May 2018. Festival review. The critic calls it Pawlikowski’s finest work to date, a dexterous examination of political ideologies wrapped in a mesmerising story of wounded love. He singles out the beguiling lead performances and the effective juxtaposition of disparate musical genres for praise. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/festivals/international-festivals/cannes/cold-war) ## Collider — Gregory Ellwood Rating A-. 12 May 2018. Festival review. The critic praises Joanna Kulig's breakthrough performance and the film's stunning visuals and direction by Pawlikowski, noting it lingers long after viewing. [Read the review](https://collider.com/cold-war-review/) ## Consequence Rating A-. 21 December 2018. The review commends the potent love story, strong performances especially Kulig's, and the film's efficient storytelling and visual depth amid political and personal turmoil. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2018/12/film-review-cold-war/) ## The Wrap — Steve Pond Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 19 December 2018. The critic praises Pawlikowski's lyrical filmmaking and ravishing visual sense in depicting a tumultuous postwar romance across divided Europe. They highlight the impetuous and daring performance by Joanna Kulig as Zula and the deep longing conveyed by Tomasz Kot as Wiktor. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/cold-war-film-review-romance-postwar-europe-ravishing-haunted/) ## The Playlist — Jordan Ruimy Rating B. 13 May 2018. Festival review. The film is admirable and beautiful to look at, with stunning cinematography, period authenticity, and hypnotic performances, especially from Joanna Kulig. However, its tight restraint and narrative risks isolate the viewer, making it hard to fully empathize or fall in love with the characters. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/pawel-pawlikowskis-cold-war-review-20180513/) ## Eye for Film — Richard Mowe 11 May 2018. Festival review. A refreshing change in the Cannes Competition, this spare and rigorous exploration of a bittersweet romance between two lovers is beautifully shot and articulated. Pawlikowski is a master of understatement and economy, crafting a film that deserves the same success as Ida. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/cold-war-2018-film-review-by-richard-mowe) ## HeyUGuys — Jo-Ann Titmarsh 11 May 2018. Festival review. Pawlikowski has delivered a masterclass in filmmaking with this stark, stunning love story that has all the ingredients to become a classic. The performances from Joanna Kulig and Tomasz Kot are highlights in this pan-European tale of mismatched lovers entangled with the Iron Curtain. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/cold-war-review-cannes-2018/) ## Paste — Andy Crump Rating 8.9. 18 December 2018. The critic highlights the bittersweet personal romance inspired by the director's parents, praising the cinematography, performances, and how it captures the era's tensions through music and silences. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/cold-war/cold-war) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/cold-war.md