Cold War (Zimna wojna) (2018)
88%RT Audience Score: 81%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 3 Oscars
50 wins & 126 nominations total
With a brilliantly stark visual aesthetic to match its lean narrative, Cold War doesn’t waste a moment of its brief running time — and doesn’t skimp on its bittersweet emotional impact
Cold War” is a movie that will make you feel all sorts of emotions, from passion to heartbreak. The changing soundtrack and stunning visuals will transport you to a different time and place, and you’ll find yourself rooting for the couple despite the obstacles they face. Plus, who doesn’t love a good love story that transcends language and culture? Just be prepared to feel all the feels.
Production Company(ies)
Paramount Pictures, The Steve Tisch Company, Wendy Finerman Productions,
Distributor
Amazon Studios
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Croatia
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for some sexual content, nudity and language
Year of Release
2018
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Color:Color
Black and White -
Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.37 : 1
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Runtime:1h 28m
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Language(s):Polish, French, Croatian, German, Russian, Serbian, Italian
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Country of origin:United States, United Kingdom, France, Poland
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Dec 21, 2018 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 31, 2019
Genre(s)
Romance
Keyword(s)
starring Joanna Kulig, Tomasz Kot, Borys Szyc, Agata Kulesza, Adam Woronowicz, Cédric Kahn, directed by Pawel Pawlikowski, written by Pawel Pawlikowski, Janusz Glowacki, romance, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Amy Nicholson, Udita Jhunjhunwala, Adam Graham, Matthew Lickona, Peter Rainer, Max Weiss, Eddie Harrison, Taylor Baker, Giles Harvey, Milana Vujkov, Jason Adams, MPAA rating R, nudity, language, some sexual content, producer Ewa Puszczynska, Tanya Seghatchian, original language Polish, limited release date Dec 21, 2018, streaming release date Mar 31, 2019, Amazon Studios
Worldwide gross: $20,346,993
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $23,943,807
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,640
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 2,611,102
US/Canada gross: $4,580,048
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $5,389,680
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,780
US/Canada opening weekend: $54,353
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $63,961
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,117
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): 4300000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $5,060,127
Production budget ranking: 1,876
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $2,724,878
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $16,158,802
ROI to date (est.): 208%
ROI ranking: 617
Tomasz Kot – Wiktor
Borys Szyc – Kaczmarek
Agata Kulesza – Irena
Adam Woronowicz – Consul
Cédric Kahn – Michel
Director(s)
Pawel Pawlikowski
Writer(s)
Pawel Pawlikowski, Janusz Glowacki
Producer(s)
Ewa Puszczynska, Tanya Seghatchian
Film Festivals
Berlin, Cannes, Telluride, Toronto
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 3 Oscars
50 wins & 126 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (253) | Top Critics (64) | Fresh (232) | Rotten (21)
Incredibly sexy. It’s nice to see a movie that’s actually about passion.
September 13, 2019
Amy Nicholson
FilmWeek (KPCC – NPR Los Angeles)
TOP CRITIC
With changing geography and passage of time, the soundtrack shifts from Polish folk to French jazz to rock ‘n’ roll. This is one of the highlights of Pawlikowski’s homage.
March 14, 2019 | Rating: 3/5
Udita Jhunjhunwala
Firstpost
TOP CRITIC
“Cold War” captivates and transcends barriers of language and culture. It’s a gorgeous tale as rocky as it is romantic.
February 1, 2019 | Rating: A-
Adam Graham
Detroit News
TOP CRITIC
Heart-thumping: the passion on display is of all sorts, a steady flame against the cold.
January 25, 2019 | Rating: 3/5
Matthew Lickona
San Diego Reader
TOP CRITIC
What struck home the most forcefully for me in “Cold War” is its depiction, insidious and unrelenting, of how artists under communism suffered for their art. At its best, the film is like a bulletin from a benighted world.
January 25, 2019 | Rating: B+
Peter Rainer
Christian Science Monitor
TOP CRITIC
It’s gorgeous to look at and, honestly, quite compelling from beginning to end. I just wish I felt more of the love.
January 25, 2019 | Rating: 3/4
Max Weiss
Baltimore Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Cold War marks a huge personal statement by the director, with photography that makes it a scintillating film to watch in HD
March 7, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
Eddie Harrison
film-authority.com
Episode 16: The Age of Innocence
September 1, 2021 | Rating: 98/100
Taylor Baker
Drink in the Movies
Cold War recalls the visual aesthetic of the Polish Film School, the cinematic movement, inspired in part by Italian neorealism, that flourished in the period of mild liberalization that began in 1956, three years after Stalin’s death.
August 26, 2021
Giles Harvey
Harper’s Magazine
An entirely visceral, poetic and unapologetic ode to the essential mystery of love (…) a diamond and a dagger, in one.
July 30, 2021 | Rating: 5/5
Milana Vujkov
Lola On Film
Pawel Pawlikowski’s magnificently romantic and visually bewitching new film Cold War deals in the secret languages and strange understandings between true lovers
July 6, 2021
Jason Adams
The Film Experience
I understand Pawlikowski’s driving idea of ‘love has no ideology or borders’, but the absence of the couple’s political allegiance/aversion as ‘artists’ bothered me, especially no background for either of them were ever fully explored.
February 13, 2021
Dustin Chang
Floating World…
Plot
A passionate love story between two people of different backgrounds and temperaments, who are fatefully mismatched and yet condemned to each other. Set against the background of the Cold War in the 1950s in Poland, Berlin, Yugoslavia and Paris, the film depicts an impossible love story in impossible times.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Joanna Kulig’s performance in Cold War is described as “stunning” and “mesmerizing,” with a resemblance to Jennifer Lawrence.
Pawel-Pawlikowski.jpg
