Why ‘Cold War’ Star Joanna Kulig is More Than Poland’s J. Law

Cold War is Polish director Pawel Pawlikowski’s latest magnum opus, an emotionally raw, yet technically dazzling look at a romance frazzling in the heat of the Cold War. It is an extraordinary film that you can catch today on Prime Video, and much of the movie’s praise has been directed towards its leading lady, Joanna Kulig.

Joanna Kulig (pronounced like Yoanna Cool-ig) is a 36-year-old actress and singer from Poland who happens to be Pawlikowski’s muse. The auteur wrote the part of Zula, a young Polish singer who gets caught up in a passionate romance with jazz pianist Wiktor, just for Kulig. The two worked together before in two of Pawilkowski’s films, lda and The Woman in the Fifth. The actress has a Polish folk music past which plays a key part in Cold War‘s narrative. Also, Kulig brings a sort of electricity to the part that no one could possibly recreate.

Kulig’s career is on an upswing thanks to her work in Cold War. Next she’s going to appear in Prime Video’s upcoming thriller Hanna as Johanna Zydek, and she made quite the splash on the press circuit promoting Cold War last year. Vanity Fair compared her to Jennifer Lawrence. As Andy Samberg as Nicolas Cage on SNL would say, “That’s high praise!” And yet, Kulig is so much more than Poland’s J. Law. She’s a vibrant, unique, quirky presence that erupts on screen in a idiosyncratic way. She is Poland’s Joanna Kulig.

Off screen, Kulig just welcomed her first child, a boy named Janek, last month. So everything’s coming up Joanna Kulig in 2019.

Cold War is now streaming on Prime Video (and by the way, it’s only 85 minutes long.)

Where to stream Cold War