A young woman (Agata Kulesza) studying to be a nun at a 1960s remote countryside Polish abbey is urged to visit her urbane aunt (Agata Trzebuchowska) , also a former ranking Communist Party member, who informs her that her parents were Jews murdered during the German occupation. Now, as the two make the journey to visit their gravesite, Ida (which she discovers is her birth name) must decide whether or not to continue down the religious path. Pawel Pawlikowski's Oscar winner for Best Foreign Film is an absorbing story told with intimacy and immediacy through strikingly beautiful photography and two resonating performances.
*** 1/2 out of ****
