Pawel Pawlikowski films have taken a long journey from his documentary beginning to winning an Oscar for “Ida.” Don’t get me wrong, his documentaries are as exciting as everything else he did.
Even though Paweł Pawlikowski doesn’t define himself as a professional filmmaker and says directing is not what defines him, his movies are still undoubtedly impressive.
Let’s see the Pawel Pawlikowski best films without further ado.
Cold War
Personally my favorite from his filmography, Pawel Pawlikowski’s “Cold War” is a mix of drama, romance, and music. The story is about a music director and a singer who fall in love in the 50s, and he tries to convince her to get away from Poland during communist times to France.
The “Cold War” movie is far from a typical love story, both as a movie and personally for Pawlikowski. The idea for the “Cold War” film is loosely based on the love story of his parents. It’s probably his most private film, and it’s also entirely shot in black and white.
The “Cold War” movie cinematography is also brilliant, made by Lukasz Zal. Along with Pawel, screenplay credits go to Janusz Glowacki and Piotr Borkowski. The main roles are played by Joanna Kulig and Tomasz Kot, who look like the perfect cast for a love couple. It was a worldwide success, and nominations include Oscars, BAFTAs, Cannes, and several European Film Awards where it also won.
Here’s a Cold War film trailer to get you in the mood and watch this masterpiece immediately.
Ida
The initial “Ida” movie genre is drama or tragedy, and it’s also shot in black and white. The story is about a postulant nun who still hasn’t taken her vows and how she discovered a family secret that dates back to the Nazi occupation.
The background of the “Ida” movie cast is also fascinating. The main role is played by Agata Trzebuchowska, which was her first role ever. She even told Pawlikowski that she didn’t want to be an actress, however, she became a director. Pawlikowski couldn’t find an actress even though he cast over 400 actresses. Luckily for him, a friend of his saw Agata reading a book in a cafe, and the rest is history.
Agata Kulesza plays the other crucial role, and her character is inspired by a private Pawel story which is unbelievable, but it may lead to spoilers, so Google this after you watch the movie. It’s important to mention that Rebecca Lenkiewicz was a co-screenwriter for “Ida.”
The “Ida” movie awards include almost any award you can imagine worldwide. Moreover, it’s the first Polish film to ever win an Oscar!
Tripping with Zhirinovsky
As mentioned at the beginning, Paweł Pawlikowski films include various formats, and documentarism was his ‘first love.’ “Tripping with Zhirinovsky” is one of the most incredible documentaries you’ll ever see, both because of Zhirinovsky and Pawlikowski’s work.
Vladimir Zhirinovsky was a Russian nationalist politician, but also a ‘fascinating’ character. The scare quotes are on purpose and you can think of him as a strange Russian version of Trump.
Pawlikowski’s BBC documentary shows Zhirinovsky on a cruise trip with many of his followers, traveling around Russia, gaining support. In addition, he also goes to the US and gains a lot of media attention in NY. Of course, there are many interesting moments Pawlikowski shot while hanging out with him. This documentary offers many funny and absurd moments but also questions how dangerous this type of politician can be.
Dostoevsky’s Travels
It’s difficult to decide what’s better, Paweł Pawlikowski movies or documentaries. This documentary is part of the Bookmark TV Series, for which Pawel made four episodes, and one of them is “Dostoevsky’s Travels.”
It’s an impressive 52-minute story about the great-grandson of famous writer Dostoevsky, Dmitri, who is a tram driver in Leningrad. However, Dmitri’s dreams are drastically different from his great-grandfather’s. Even though talented in his way, his dream is to buy a Mercedes while traveling to Western Europe as Fyodor did in 1862.
The Bookmark “Dostoevsky’s Travels” shows Dmitri’s mindblowing journey as he is welcomed in many places as Fyodor’s great-grandson. Surprisingly, his main goal stays the same, to buy a Mercedes.
This documentary was a success, winning a Special Mention “European Documentary of the Year” at the European Film Awards.
Last Resort
The “Last Resort” movie is a mix of drama and romance, which Pawlikowski directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Rowan Joffe. It’s a story about a young Russian woman who declares political asylum after she leaves Moscow with her son to meet her fiancé, who doesn’t show up.
The cast of “Last Resort” movie includes Dina Korzun, Artyom Strelnikov, Paddy Considine, and Ben Dover, among others. The movie was quite successful and gained international recognition. Nominated at various film festivals, including Venice, European Film Awards, and BAFTAs, where Pawlikowski won the “Carl Foreman Award for the Most Promising Newcomer.”
Twockers
“Twockers” may not be one of his most popular films, however, it’s still one of Pawel Pawlikowski’s best movies. He wrote and directed it together with Ian Duncan.
It’s a docudrama about Trevor, a young dosser who has a problematic life but falls in love with Amie, to whom he writes poetry. Even though pregnant by another, Trevor has to decide if he can stay out of trouble and get a steady job to convince her to be her partner and her child’s father.
“Twockers” is a TV movie and it’s only 40 minutes. Nevertheless, it’s still exciting to see it even though it’s a ‘co-working’ movie by Pawlikowski and Duncan.
Serbian Epics
Considering his documentaries, it’s easy to see that Pawlikowski is undoubtedly an adventurer, especially when he was younger. The “Serbian Epics” documentary was made during the war in Bosnia, which is dangerous in itself.
However, it has Pawel’s authenticity, which also means it’s not a typical war reporting cliche since it has an anthropological aspect. You may not believe what you’ll see but, unfortunately, these things exist. You’ll see tribal chants of soldiers, strange ‘relationships’ with Karadjorde dynasty members, and even a mass baptism.
Through the Paweł Pawlikowski “Serbian Epics” documentary you’ll learn about this historical situation but it also speaks about the universal issue of nationalist and ethnic views.
From Moscow to Pietushki
The entire name of this documentary is “From Moscow to Pietushki: A Journey with Benedict Yerofeyev.” Pawel Pawlikowski films usually are different but this one goes a step further, in a positive way.
He had a brilliant idea to revisit various locations of Yerofeyev’s popular novel “Moscow-Petushki.” Who knows where his ideas come from but he obviously has a complex yet fascinating mind. He showcases a very surprising view of drunken Russia and travelers recalling the writer who used to travel with them at various railway stations.
BBC can thank many filmmakers for their work, and Pawlikowski is undoubtedly one of them.
My Summer of Love
Drama and romance are genres Pawel explores often in his movies, and the same applies to “My Summer of Love” film.
It’s an interesting story about two girls, the exotic Tamsin, and working-class Mona who realize there’s a lot they can explore together during one summer in Yorkshire. The “My Summer of Love” cast includes excellent actors like Natalie Press and Emily Blunt in the main roles, Paddy Considine, Dean Andrews, and others.
Michael Wynne was Pawel’s collaborating scriptwriter, and the story is based on a Helen Cross novel of the same name. It’s also interesting that in the “My Summer of Love” movie there was a lot of improvisation during filming, which included the cast.
Most Pawel Pawlikowski films are nominated for awards, and it’s the same with this one. It won one BAFTA, and it also got four nominations at the European Film Awards, one at the Berlin International Film Festival, etc.
Final Words on Pawel Pawlikowski Best Films
Pawel Pawlikowski’s films and documentaries have been successful all across the globe, and rightfully so.
Luckily for us, he is set to make a new movie, “The Island,” with great actors, Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara. Unfortunately, there have been production issues, so it’s still unknown whether this film will see the light of day. Even if it doesn’t, he’ll make another one, and we’ll gladly see it.
Other Pawlikowski films you should watch include “The Stringer” and “The Woman in the Fifth,” however, it’s better to first watch those from the list.
framebyframecritic 
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