Ida (Pawel Pawlikowski, 2014 ) -

Okay, so it’s a black-and-white foreign language film with little dialogue and most shots have a static camera. I understand. It is resolutely not the accessible moneymaker Paramount or Warner Brothers might crave, a fact Pawlikowski jokes about in interviews. But Ida is sensational moviemaking by every standard, and this story about a beautiful soon-to-be-nun and the dark past she seeks to uncover grabs you from the first beautifully composed frame to the last. I normally crop the images, but Ida's amazing visuals deserve the full 1.33 frame. It’s also 80 minutes. You have no excuse. Watch it. It’s one of 2014’s best.

Please follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or RSS below