The World of Movies: Aria Diva
Written by Rachael Crawley
The World of Movies is a series that explores global cinema, drawing on films from many countries, industries and eras. This week, we deal with art and relationships in Poland.
Aria Diva.
May contain spoilers.
Welcome back! After a summer break, The World of Movies resumes its adventures in world cinema, starting with Poland’s Aria Diva (Agnieszka Smoczynska, 2007). At first a quiet tale about a new neighbour, the story takes on rich new meaning as a near-melodrama that reflects the art it celebrates.
We start our story in a regular apartment building, where residents are perturbed by the new arrival. The titular character soon starts disturbing everyone with her constant practicing. As anyone in an apartment building knows, surrounding noise can grate heavily on daily life. While first some people are concerned, soon enough, the neighbourly goodwill begins to grow – not to mention, the music really is lovely. Basia, a young mother seemingly stuck in a rut, is particularly taken with her new acquaintance.
Where one might expect a comedy about neighbourhood drama, or perhaps a passionate romance, this movie is never quite either. While we feel the deep bond between the two, something is always held back. For a relationship that seems to reach both women deep in their soul, there is a quality of restraint that makes the film that much more meaningful. Nothing much happens – a few meetings, some brief conversations. It is a tribute to the director’s commitment, and the performances of the two leads, that these moments add up to something more.
Katarzyna Figura and Gabriela Muskala lead the film as the diva and Basia, respectively, and they create a believable relationship that slowly moves to a warmer connection – and potentially more than that. Basia is struggling with her place in the world, and her sudden look at a different way of life proves to be pivotal to her own growth. Her husband, sensing something he is not part of, reacts with chilly distance.
Aria Diva.
The film looks very sharp, and Criterion has rendered it handsomely. I particularly enjoyed the contrast in colours, helped by some stellar costuming. Perhaps it wouldn’t be expected from a small-scale film based in ordinary life, but this really is a beautiful-looking movie. Its score, of course, richly backs up its scenes.
Through these two characters, Aria Diva turns into a meditation on different forms of womanhood, as well as the concept of reinvention. It is not given to dramatic moments, but this is not something lacking. Both characters are different in the end – and its final scenes are gorgeous in their subtlety. Some experiences are not about what occurs, but what we take away from them. Here, we see an example perfectly played.
For the next few weeks, this column will focus on short films from around the world. This concise and focused medium rarely gets the attention its deserves, despite some incredible examples. Combined with my currently busy schedule and the fact that I’m having to look more and more for the kind of movies I want, I’m hoping this will lead to some great discoveries. Watch this column for some cool new films, like this week’s lovely interlude.
Rachael Crawley holds a Master's Degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Toronto Metropolitan University, and has worked with film in Canada and in Europe. She adores language and cinema, and how these subjects interact with each other.