directed by Agnieszka Holland
Wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from this film. And I must say it surprised me on many levels. It presents the story of a journalist who stood against Stalin, shortly speaking. Before watching it, I thought it would be rather slow and full of tiring conversations. I mean, discussing politics is always mind-blowing, right? Yet, they managed to make a decent production, which is a beautiful tribute to Gareth Jones. But I’m sure most of you aren’t familiar with his story (no worries, I wasn’t either), so let me share a bit. He was a Welsh journalist who interviewed Adolf Hitler and became quite famous in his country. However, he wished to talk to another powerful leader, Joseph Stalin. And this is where the film begins. It’s 1933 and Jones (James Norton) applies for a permission to enter the Soviet Union. Before going there, he makes a phone call to his friend Paul Kleb (Marcin Czarnik), who’s a journalist working in Moscow. During the conversation Kleb wants to share something big with Jones, but the call is stopped and the men cannot continue talking. The main character receives the permission and goes to Moscow where he finds out that his friend has been killed. Still, he’s come here to interview Stalin and that’s what he tries to focus on. At some point he starts realising what’s happening in the Soviet Union. He meets Ada Brooks (Vanessa Kirby) who knew Paul and she tells Jones about his plans of going to Ukraine. Curious about learning the truth, Jones decides to travel to Ukraine. Unfortunately, it won’t be that easy. It’s 1933 and you need to have a permission even for going to the toilet. I would lie saying it’s an action film. Not at all. It’s full of difficult conversations which can really exhaust your brains. Also the story might be quite shocking for some and, trust me, what Jones sees in Ukraine isn’t a nice picture. Yet, the camerawork is so pleasant and extraordinary. I also love this fast editing when the action is rather slow, like travelling by train. Yes, we know, choo choo, nice views, lots of steam – classic. But here they needed 3 seconds and we’re back to talking. Choo choo and done. Yet, there were also longer scenes such as the one with eating an orange or the one with running through the forest. For some those scenes could have been done faster, but I was living every second of them. Pay attention when you’ll be watching. Those scenes were very important, at least for me. But there’s one thing I don’t get. What’s the point of having George Orwell as a character? Yes, mentioning the fragments of “Animal Farm” was absolutely okay, but I didn’t see the point of presenting the author. I would omit his presence if I was the producers, but that’s just a small digression. Generally, it’s a film worth your time.
My rating: 7/10
S.
I have nothing to watch 