"Director Pawlikowsi's tale of a love most potent spanning over decades and countries is a breathtaking adventure into a world expertly crafted.
Starting in 1940's Poland, the story revolves around a travelling troupe of singers and dancers unleashing their rural folktales onto a more urbane audience that lap it all up in the name of patriotic memory. Here, one young singer and a teacher fall into a love expressed mainly through what is not said, all against the stark black and white framing the film is shot in.
This is a story that has an acute focus on duality wherever it can be found. From the literal West vs East, the passionate embraces and snapping discussions of the couple, to the waltzing, floating shots of nightclubs in Paris against abrupt, snap to black edits between scenes, there is a lucid dream feel about it.
There is no plodding exposition on why these two characters love each other, nor cliched fighting with immediate reconciliation - instead we are often left to consider numerous details of the whys and hows ourselves, which only ramps up the achingly authentic emotional depth on display"
- 9/10
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