Writer/director Pawel Pawlikowski follows up his 2015 Oscar-winning Ida with a film that is just as immaculately crafted. Cold War, which has again earned Pawlikowski an Oscar nomination, comes in a petite package while moving expansively through history. Hitting on key moments in the lives of its two leads, the film ensnares you in its rich story, history, and characters, both beautiful and devastating.

In the ruins of post-war Poland, Wiktor (Tomasz Kot) and Zula (Joanna Kulig) fall deeply, obsessively and destructively in love. As performing musicians forced to play into the communist propaganda machine, they dream of escaping to the creative freedom of the West. One day, they spot their chance to make a break for freedom in France, yet fall out with each other and make a decision that will mark their lives forever.