Cold War (2018)

From an aesthetic point of view, Cold War is immaculate. Shot in black and white in the Academy ratio (4:3), it feels like an artifact of the time in which the film was set. Or rather times, as Cold War takes place across a couple of decades. The style of the film, at least to my untrained eye, seemed to be photographed appropriately to each period with the early scenes in a much more primitive, almost documentary-style with the later Parisian scenes feeling much more lush and polished.

The story is interesting, a relationship between two people that was reminiscent of the uneven romance in La La Land, but told in a more consistent manner. Also with less dancing - but there is quite a bit of singing - mostly variations of the same song as it evolves over the years.

Ultimately where the movies didn't work for me was that I didn't really invest enough in either of the characters, with the male lead pulling a move about two-thirds through that immediately put my back up, which I assume was the intention: a demonstration of the true state of the relationship. However, it still informed my general disinclination to care about the fate of the character.

It's a film that's stuck with me after seeing it though - and I feel it probably bears a repeat viewing now that my expectations have been better set.