Set in 1960s Poland, 'Ida' follows Anna, a young orphaned novitiate on the verge of taking her vows, who learns she is Jewish and embarks on a journey with her estranged aunt to uncover her family's tragic wartime past. Directed by Pawel Pawlikowski, the film is a visually stunning meditation on identity, faith, history, and loss. Its stark black-and-white cinematography and minimalist storytelling earned it widespread critical acclaim and an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Paweł Pawlikowski films a 1962 Polish novice discovering she is Jewish. The film is the genre as black-and-white inheritance; the war is the answer to the question.
The film uses long silences and restrained performances to explore identity, grief, and faith, with pauses carrying more meaning than dialogue.