Ida

Poland, the early 1960s. Anna is a young girl who has spent her entire life in an orphanage run by nuns. Just before taking her vows, Anna is summoned by the abbess who orders her to leave the monastery in order to meet a mysterious relative. From this moment, Anna (whose original name is Ida Lebenstein), sets out on an astonishing journey to her family’s past—her Jewish parents who perished in the War—and her heretical aunt, a former communist and revolutionary turned unemployed alcoholic. Ida (2013) is undoubtedly one of the key canonical films of the past decade—for which Pawlikowski was awarded an Oscar (Best Foreign Film)—and the foundation of the Polish director’s status as one of the most esteemed filmmakers of our time.