A grayscale film about an orphan set in 1962 post-Stalinist Poland doesn’t promise scintillation or provocation—yet director Pawel Pawlikowski (of My Summer of Love fame) cleaves a brilliant narrative about nascent sexuality. In just 80 minutes, Ida delivers a streamlined, open-road novella about priests, nuns, hedonists, and musicians. The titular role, played by newcomer Agata Trzebuchowska, is an apprentice on the verge of taking her vows in a convent, when she encounters a chain-smoking, wild fox of an aunt. From there, it’s a rabbit hole exploration of identity—curiosity clashes with devotion and sexuality with virginity. Opening Ceremony recently caught up with Trzebuchowska about her role. Read our interview and scroll down to watch an exclusive clip from the film.
JEANINE CELESTE PANG: This particular role, for all intents and purposes, fell into your lap when you were approached in a cafe. Did it take much convincing on your part?
AGATA TRZEBUCHOWSKA: Not really. I knew and adored Pawel Pawlikowski's My Summer of Love. I was curious [about] what kind of person he was, and what kind of cinema he was about to create. The story of Ida seemed intriguing and touching as well.
Where did you get your inspiration to play Ida? Did you research the inner workings of a monastery?
Honestly, I didn't have concrete inspiration for Ida's part. On paper, the character seemed indefinable; she was something of an enigma, and I found it difficult to understand her reactions and choices. It wasn't easy to identify with her, and research wasn't very helpful. What I tried to do was make her more universal and approachable. I wanted to take her out from this tight context and find some similarities between us. It wasn't something that came totally naturally.
Was it difficult to play someone like Ida? Not only is she a nun, but also an orphan who has very little sense of family.
Yes, it was quite difficult. Firstly, because I had no previous acting experience; secondly, because the character of Ida was very specific and demanding. As a nun and an orphan, she knows nothing about her roots. She has spent her entire life in a convent, and all that she cares about is her faith. She has no earthly life; the only one that she knows is a religious one. But I think that this kind of isolation, paradoxically, helps her. She has her inner strength. It is the strength of a hermit, somebody excluded from the "real" world and connections. But Ida's experiences [of love and sexuality] question her exclusion and allow her to develop a new kind of strength connected with the world—not based on religious escapism.
Ida opens today in Los Angeles and New York; national release to follow
![]()
Ida/Anna (Agata Trzebuchowska) in Ida. Photos Courtesy of Music Box Films
![]()
Ida/Anna (Agata Trzebuchowska) and Wanda (Agata Kulesza) in Ida.
JEANINE CELESTE PANG: This particular role, for all intents and purposes, fell into your lap when you were approached in a cafe. Did it take much convincing on your part?
AGATA TRZEBUCHOWSKA: Not really. I knew and adored Pawel Pawlikowski's My Summer of Love. I was curious [about] what kind of person he was, and what kind of cinema he was about to create. The story of Ida seemed intriguing and touching as well.
Where did you get your inspiration to play Ida? Did you research the inner workings of a monastery?
Honestly, I didn't have concrete inspiration for Ida's part. On paper, the character seemed indefinable; she was something of an enigma, and I found it difficult to understand her reactions and choices. It wasn't easy to identify with her, and research wasn't very helpful. What I tried to do was make her more universal and approachable. I wanted to take her out from this tight context and find some similarities between us. It wasn't something that came totally naturally.
Was it difficult to play someone like Ida? Not only is she a nun, but also an orphan who has very little sense of family.
Yes, it was quite difficult. Firstly, because I had no previous acting experience; secondly, because the character of Ida was very specific and demanding. As a nun and an orphan, she knows nothing about her roots. She has spent her entire life in a convent, and all that she cares about is her faith. She has no earthly life; the only one that she knows is a religious one. But I think that this kind of isolation, paradoxically, helps her. She has her inner strength. It is the strength of a hermit, somebody excluded from the "real" world and connections. But Ida's experiences [of love and sexuality] question her exclusion and allow her to develop a new kind of strength connected with the world—not based on religious escapism.
Ida opens today in Los Angeles and New York; national release to follow
Ida/Anna (Agata Trzebuchowska) in Ida. Photos Courtesy of Music Box Films
Ida/Anna (Agata Trzebuchowska) and Wanda (Agata Kulesza) in Ida.