Mr Jones (2019 film)


Mr Jones is a 2019 biographical thriller film directed by Agnieszka Holland. It was selected to compete for the Golden Bear at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival. The film loosely tells the story of Gareth Jones, a journalist from Wales, who in 1933 travels to the Soviet Union and uncovers the truth about the Holodomor, the manmade famine in Ukraine in which millions died.

Plot

In 1933, Gareth Jones is an ambitious young journalist who has gained some renown for his interview with Adolf Hitler. Thanks to his connections to Lloyd George, the former British prime minister, he is able to get official permission to travel to the Soviet Union. Jones intends to try to interview Stalin and to find out more about the Soviet Union's economic expansion and its apparently-successful five-year development plan.
Jones is restricted to Moscow but jumps his train and travels unofficially to Ukraine to discover evidence of the Holodomor, including empty villages, starving people, cannibalism, and the enforced collection of grain. On his return to Britain, he struggles to get his story taken seriously. The film ends by recording that Jones died in Mongolia on a return visit to the Soviet Union and did not know that his guide was employed by the Soviet secret service.

Cast

The film had its world premiere at the 2019 Berlin International Film Festival. Distribution rights for North America were acquired by Samuel Goldwyn Films in August 2019, and was released in the United Kingdom on 7 February 2020. It was scheduled to be released in the United States on 3 April 2020.

Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 81% based on 31 reviews, with an average rating of "Flawed yet fundamentally worthy, Mr. Jones peers into the past to tell a fact-based story that remains troublingly relevant today." On Metacritic the film has a score of 63% based on reviews from 6 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film four out of five, calling it "a bold and heartfelt movie with a real Lean-ian sweep".
Tim Robey of The Telegraph gave it three out of five. He praised Sarsgaard, for his performance and for raising the "sadly untapped" potential of the film. Robey criticised the script and concluded "There’s enough in Mr Jones to make you want a good deal more". David Ehrlich at Indiewire gave the film a grade C. Kyle Smith of National Review gave the film a favourable review, noting "To this day, Mr. Jones is all but unknown and his courage is unsung by his inky heirs, whereas Duranty’s Pulitzer Prize remains on the books even after a thousand other things have been canceled. Meanwhile, Mr. Jones joins the unconscionably brief list of brutally honest films about Communism."

Awards