There are still two major films left to see for 2018, but you can be guaranteed that Pawel Pawlikowski’s “Cold War” is going to be very close to the top of my year-end top 10 list. Inspired by his own parents’ volatile love affair, the Polish filmmaker has crafted an epic love story that begins at the dawn of that nation’s communist era and features a star-making turn by Joanna Kulig.
The 36-year-old actress and singer has appeared on screen before with small roles in Pawlikowski’s Oscar-winning “Ida” and, of all things, “Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters,” but her performance as Zula is, for lack of a better description, a revelation. Kulig completely captivates the screen and is remarkable in portraying Zula from a feisty 18 to an emotionally spent new mother at 33. She’s sublime.
Despite accolades since Cannes, Kulig has somehow not found her way into the Best Actress race. Foreign language performances often get slighted by the Actor’s branch, but considering how relatively weak this year’s field has become she more than deserves a shot a the spotlight (“A Star is Born’s” Lady Gaga, “The Favourite’s” Olivia Coleman and “Can You Ever Forgive Me’s” Melissa McCarthy are seemingly the only locks for a nod). Give the very pregnant Kulig credit then for taking the stage Wednesday night at an after party following the screening of “Cold War” at AFI Fest. There were HFPA and AMPAS members in attendance so it was a very smart move.
Kulig performed four songs including a jazz-fueled “Dwa serduszka (Two Hearts)” which is the song that threads the film’s romance between Zula and Wiktor (Tomasz Kot), a composer and pianist. You can watch excerpts of her performance in the embedded Instagram video below.
With more Academy members screening the film by the day there’s still time for Kulig to make the cut, but some major critic award honors wouldn’t hurt either (hint, hint to all those LAFCA and NYFCC reading this post).
On a side note, a quick reminder to those in Hollywood attending events with live performances. When someone is singing? Shut the fuck up. I’ve covered this beat for over a decade and never witnessed such a rude crowd to a live performer as I did last night. It was embarrassing for the industry and for Kulig and the musicians accompanying her. They deserved better.
“Cold War” opens in limited release on Dec. 21.
