"'Cold War'  is a passionate love story between two people of different backgrounds and temperaments, set against the background of the Cold War in 1950s Poland, Berlin, Yugoslavia and Paris. "A mysterious, musically glorious and visually ravishing film. An elliptical, episodic story of imprisonment and escape, epic in scope. The musical ensemble performances are staggering - brilliantly choreographed by Paweł Pawlikowski and filmed by cinematographer Łukasz Żal." (The Guardian)

"Luminous presence of Joanna Kulig, who's performance is powerful enough to become the Jeanne Moreau de nos jours. This film fizzes with a devotional energy and political relevance." (Sight & Sound)

"Academy Award-winner Paweł Pawlikowski follows up his box-office sensation Ida with this bittersweet, exquisitely crafted tale of an impossible love. Set between the late 1940s and early 1960s, Cold War is, as the title implies, a Soviet-era drama, but it stringently and inventively avoids the clichés of many a classical-minded World War II art film, tracking the tempestuous love between pianist and singer as they navigate the realities of living in both Poland and Paris, in and outside of the Iron Curtain. Shot in crisp black-and-white and set to a bewitching jazzy score, Pawlikowski's evocative film consummately depicts an uncompromising passion caught up in the gears of history." (NYFF)