Love shouldnt’ hurt like this

by Kathia Woods

The Phrase "Love Kills" seems like a cliché but is a perfect way, to sum up, "Cold War."

It's a love story taking place in post-world war 2 Europe. The two main characters at the heart of this story are Zula and Wictor. Wictor a musician by trade notices Zula at the audition.

Zula is a parolee who is serving her country for assaulting her father. The backdrop for this love affair is communism. Poland destroyed after the war embraces communism as the answer to rebuilding. What better way than to boost the message of fatherland than through folklore but not just any folklore peasant music. Music created from the poorest of the poor — it's through this experiment that Zula and Wictor meet.

Zula is not the best singer, but she has charisma. She knows that she has looks and sexuality. She yields both of those assets on Wictor with an unrelenting force. She entrances him.

It's nice to see a movie depict the woman in a position of authority. Zula portrayed by Joanna Kulig is in total control. She shares her body with Victor but only a little of her soul. She's a woman that life hasn't always looked upon favorably, but she uses her charm and wit to get ahead.

Wictor portrayed by Tomasz Kot is the direct opposite. He's a romantic. He leads with his heart which is a recipe for disaster.

Kot was the weak one in this movie. He was the naive one, and that makes this story more intriguing. You found yourself cheering for him. You wanted him to wise up and catch a clue.

A woman yielding emotional power in a movie doesn't happen very often. The woman, in this case, is the tormentor. She's insufferable. I wanted her gone. I wanted Wictor to push back. When was he going to push back?

This dance of emotional hell is what made this movie entertaining.

We weren't going to get a happy ending with this dysfunction on display.

The music also plays a significant part. You have this very stark sad music for the nationalistic portion of the film entwined with Jazz and some Rock. Paris to me represents romance and Poland pain.