I loved this movie. It impressed me for all the reasons you discussed here, but especially in the way the movie engaged it’s own culture and history. The priest was willing to keep the truth from her long after it was necessary for her safety. The aunt was a partisan, a hero in a lesser movie and also a Communist judge who sent who knows how many innocents by our standards to prison. How much did all that happened to her distort her as a person? The killer killed them in part to protect himself and his family from his own father’s attempts to help them. Fear, suffering, pain, hatred, bigotry but mostly fear corrupts and mutilates this ordinary person into a mass murderer and thief.
I remember the line from the mother in the movie Ordinary People about how lucky people are who were never tried by circumstances and never had to see what they are really like.
Yeah, there's a lot to think about—including the fact that Ida's gender saved her, which is not that uncommon in genocides. (Adam Jones and others have coined the term gendercide to talk about the way that genocides often involve the extermination of boys and men.)
well...it's not so much ironic as kind of indicative of how patriarchal ideology and violence works. men are seen as a threat; women become the property of the men who win, and can be subjugated in various ways (sexual violence, enslavement, and/or, as in Ida's case, indoctrinated and robbed of cultural heritage.)
How many more Polish Jews were murdered because real Poles refused to rescue them? Imagine the vast numbers. My paternal grandparents were miraculously able to escape BUT so many more were murdered by their own hate-filled neighbors in the town streets. I have never visited Poland or Eastern Europe and NEVER WILL. May all be erased from the evil maps NOW. Stop creating fictional “movies” that are filled with LIES!!
I have a question for you as an experienced substacker. If a writer has a clearly antisemitic comment on an old entry is that a sign that they tolerate the comment? Can a substacker view a repellent comment and purge it from their article or block the person from commenting? Or is this not possible? I reported the comment and saw it was from a person I had previously blocked. The article is old. I planned on subscribing but won’t if the person tolerates antisemitism or bigotry of any kind. I’m asking you because you are the person I have the most exchanges with here.
well, jeez...I don't know that I'm that experienced! I'm pretty sure people can delete old comments. There could be various reasons they might not—including not seeing it (people have notifications set up in different ways, and of course might just miss it even if notified.)
I doubt seeing an antisemitic comment on a substack would in itself be enough to make me not subscribe? fwiw.
I’m glad you wrote this piece. When you wrote your previous essay on the myth of the rescuer I thought of Ida and wondered about your opinion.
I loved this movie. It impressed me for all the reasons you discussed here, but especially in the way the movie engaged it’s own culture and history. The priest was willing to keep the truth from her long after it was necessary for her safety. The aunt was a partisan, a hero in a lesser movie and also a Communist judge who sent who knows how many innocents by our standards to prison. How much did all that happened to her distort her as a person? The killer killed them in part to protect himself and his family from his own father’s attempts to help them. Fear, suffering, pain, hatred, bigotry but mostly fear corrupts and mutilates this ordinary person into a mass murderer and thief.
I remember the line from the mother in the movie Ordinary People about how lucky people are who were never tried by circumstances and never had to see what they are really like.
Yeah, there's a lot to think about—including the fact that Ida's gender saved her, which is not that uncommon in genocides. (Adam Jones and others have coined the term gendercide to talk about the way that genocides often involve the extermination of boys and men.)
Which is ironic since the chances of survival of any group of animals or humans depends on the number of females.
well...it's not so much ironic as kind of indicative of how patriarchal ideology and violence works. men are seen as a threat; women become the property of the men who win, and can be subjugated in various ways (sexual violence, enslavement, and/or, as in Ida's case, indoctrinated and robbed of cultural heritage.)
How many more Polish Jews were murdered because real Poles refused to rescue them? Imagine the vast numbers. My paternal grandparents were miraculously able to escape BUT so many more were murdered by their own hate-filled neighbors in the town streets. I have never visited Poland or Eastern Europe and NEVER WILL. May all be erased from the evil maps NOW. Stop creating fictional “movies” that are filled with LIES!!
Thanks. I liked the essays but the comments were incredibly vile. I was shocked they were still up. Thanks your opinion means a lot.
I have a question for you as an experienced substacker. If a writer has a clearly antisemitic comment on an old entry is that a sign that they tolerate the comment? Can a substacker view a repellent comment and purge it from their article or block the person from commenting? Or is this not possible? I reported the comment and saw it was from a person I had previously blocked. The article is old. I planned on subscribing but won’t if the person tolerates antisemitism or bigotry of any kind. I’m asking you because you are the person I have the most exchanges with here.
well, jeez...I don't know that I'm that experienced! I'm pretty sure people can delete old comments. There could be various reasons they might not—including not seeing it (people have notifications set up in different ways, and of course might just miss it even if notified.)
I doubt seeing an antisemitic comment on a substack would in itself be enough to make me not subscribe? fwiw.
Doesn't sound at all like parody to choose shooting in B/W.