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Mr. Jones
2019 119 min Poland, Ukraine, United Kingdom 12+
★7.1
Thriller, Drama, History
Director: Agnieszka Holland
Trailers
Description
In 1933, Welsh journalist Gareth Jones travels to Ukraine, where he experiences the horrors of a famine. Everywhere he goes he meets henchmen of the Soviet secret service who are determined to prevent news about the catastrophe from getting out. Stalin’s forced collectivisation of agriculture has resulted in misery and ruin—the policy is tantamount to mass murder.
Worldwide:
$2.86M
Starring
James Norton
Actor
Vanessa Kirby
Actor
Peter Sarsgaard
Actor
Awards
Berlin International Film Festival 2019
— Golden Bear
Key opinion
Mr. Jones is an atmospheric and visually striking film that succeeds in highlighting the historical tragedy of the Holodomor. While the performances and aesthetic qualities are widely praised, the film faces significant criticism for its historical inaccuracies and speculative embellishments regarding the protagonist's life and the Soviet political climate.
| Cinematography | The cinematography and production design create a haunting, immersive, and visually flawless aesthetic that effectively captures the bleakness of the famine and the coldness of Moscow. | |
| Score | The mournful, haunting score and musical choices successfully enhance the film's emotional impact and atmospheric tension. | |
| Acting | The film features strong lead performances from the central cast that ground the narrative despite inconsistent directorial guidance. | |
| Screenplay | The film prioritizes a dramatized, sometimes fictionalized narrative that compromises historical accuracy by inventing events like the Duranty orgy and misrepresenting Jones's personal beliefs and history. | |
| Direction | Opinions on the direction are divided; some praise Agnieszka Holland's ability to force moral contemplation, while others find the execution soulless and politically heavy-handed. |