Mr. Jones
by Shelly Schoeneshoefer

Female Polish director Agnieszka Holland brings a classic drama taking from the view of a long forgotten Welsh journalist who searches for the truth, Gareth Jones (James Norton). Jones facing a group of old men who are laughing at his prognosis explains that the German National Socialist party is dangerous. He had just interviewed Hitler and felt he had a grip on what was about to take place in Europe. Moral bound to investigate further, dives into the politics of Russia where he in depth analytical view of economic system created by Stalin’s communist party. The numbers don’t add up and he was bound to find out why.

Upon his arrival he finds that his true enemies seem not to be the Russian people but Moscow bureau chief of the New York Times, Walter Duranty, who had won the Pulitzer Prize but had succumb to bribery. Due to Jones up bring, he could speak Russian fluently which enabled him to travel through the Ukraine where his witnessed a horrifying reality. The Soviets were exporting gain while 4 million people starved to death.  In his diaries of 1933, He has written an article, “Tell Them We are Starving”, where he describes the atrocities which included cannibalism  and pile of bodies which he had witnessed. This Holodomor which means killing by hunger was played done by the New York Times at the time. Unfortunately as a freelance writer he had the freedom to write but not the protection needed to face such an evil political system. On his return home he was thought to be a mad man full of lies by most politicians and journalists because no one wanted to hear the truth. Fortunately, he shared his nightmare journey with a man named Eric Blair whose work we know better as George Orwell. We see Jones’ vision in the works of Animal Farm, a book that every teenage has to read. The film is dramatic dark, where there are moments erotic perverse scenes where we see the international journalist linger in their small protected cage in Moscow. The film gives a sense of endless helplessness but that perhaps Mr. Jones is that glimmer of hope. This multifaceted film inspires all of us to seek out the truth. If we look at our world today, are we happy with what we see? With social media we have manage to lose ourselves in fake new and are not looking at the facts anymore. We believe all the twitters and social news which is politically swayed to guide us like sheep into directions that could be dangerous. We need independence free objective media which is extremely hard to find anymore. What I did get to see at the end of this film was the last glimpse of Dieter Kosslick for this year along with director Agnieszka Holland, James Norton and Peter Sarsguaard and of this film.