On Netflix: An “essential” film to understand one of the darkest pages in 20th century history – Cinema News

Set in 1933, it tells the story of Welsh journalist Gareth Jones, who sought to show the dark side of Stalin’s regime.

Cinema, in addition to entertaining, also serves to better understand the world around us, including the past and present. One of the titles that fits in this sense is Stalin’s Shadow, a film that was described by the portal Les Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace as “essential” to understand one of the darkest pages in the history of the 20th century.

We are referring to the Holodomor, a term coined in Ukraine to refer to the famine that devastated the territory from 1932 to 1933. During this period, almost seven million Soviets died of starvation during the last peacetime crisis in Europe. This terrible event was the consequence of a policy of extreme violence: the imposition of political control over the countryside during Stalin’s regime.

An unknown story

The film directed by Agnieszka Holland, premiered in 2020 after passing through Berlin Film Festival and is available on Prime Video. A mix between thriller, spy film and history lesson, where the protagonist is Gareth Jones (James Norton), a Welsh journalist who investigated Stalin’s atrocities during forced collectivization in Ukraine.

Many consider it the best film in history, but at the Oscars it was booed every time its title was said.

The cast also features Vanessa Kirby in the role of Ada Brooks, a reporter for the New York Times, as well as Peter Sarsgaard and Joseph Mawle. In an interview with Cineuropa, the director stated that “I was never asked to direct a film about the Holodomor”.

He continued: “I have been thinking and telling people for a long time that many of the crimes tolerated by this regime have not yet been talked about.” The work won three awards at the Polish International Film Festival and was nominated for the Best Film award at the Berlinale.

*Stay up to date with news about films and series and receive exclusive opportunities. Listen HateCinema on Spotify or your favorite audio platform, join our WhatsApp channel and be a Card Adorer!