aaron jones
In-House Film Critic | Reviews: 31 | Instagram | Letterboxd
Based in California, he developed a passion for film from a young age and has since viewed over 10,000 films. His appreciation for the medium led him to film criticism, where he now writes for CinemaWaves, offering analysis of both contemporary releases and timeless classics. In addition to his work here, he has contributed to other publications as well.
Review by Aaron Jones | Feb 06, 2025
Just out of jail, crumpled English archaeologist Arthur reconnects with his wayward crew of tombaroli accomplices – a happy-go-lucky collective of itinerant grave-robbers who survive by looting Etruscan tombs and fencing the ancient treasures they dig up. La chimera was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 76th Cannes Film Festival. The film received positive reviews from critics, and is considered as one of the best Italian films.
Review by Aaron Jones | Jan 18, 2025
In the near future where emotions have become a threat, Gabrielle finally decides to purify her DNA in a machine that will immerse her in her past lives and rid her of any strong feelings. She then meets Louis and feels a powerful connection, as if she had known him forever. The Beast had its world premiere at the 80th Venice International Film Festival as part of the official competition.
Review by Aaron Jones | Dec 28, 2024
In the region of North Ossetia in Russia a young woman named Ada lives with her family in a remote former mining town. Being the only woman in the household, Ada lives with her patriarchal father and two brothers. This dynamic soon reveals a dysfunctional family clinging together in severely unhealthy ways, with the controlling father at the center of the dysfunction and codependency stemming from a past trauma that still haunts their daily lives. The Film won the Un Certain Regard award at the 2021 Cannes Festival.
Review by Aaron Jones | Dec 14, 2024
A young woman, Janice, is living with her conservative, working-class parents, who become concerned at her rebellious behaviour, and are shocked when she becomes pregnant. At a time when pregnancy when unmarried was widely considered shameful, they insist she has an abortion, but this has terrible emotional and mental effects on her. The film won FIPRESCI Prize at Berlin International Film Festival.
Review by Aaron Jones | Nov 29, 2024
A triptych fable following a man without choice who tries to take control of his own life; a policeman who is alarmed that his wife who was missing-at-sea has returned and seems a different person; and a woman determined to find a specific someone with a special ability, who is destined to become a prodigious spiritual leader. Kinds of Kindness had its world premiere at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, where Plemons won the Best Actor award.
Review by Aaron Jones | Nov 18, 2024
The pain of growing up, as seen by three Turkish youths: Ömer, the son of the local imam, who wishes the death of his father; his best friend, Yakup, who's enamored with the village schoolteacher; and Yildiz, who is forced to balance her studies with the needs of her demanding mother. It won the Best Turkish Film of the Year Award at the Istanbul Film Festival.
Review by Aaron Jones | Nov 06, 2024
Anais is thirty and broke. She has a lover, but she’s not sure she loves him anymore. She meets Daniel, who immediately falls for her. But Daniel lives with Emilie – whom Anais also falls for. This is the story of a restless young woman, and the story of a profound desire. The film was shown in the Critics' Week section at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival.
Review by Aaron Jones | Oct 20, 2024
A fading celebrity decides to use a black market drug, a cell-replicating substance that temporarily creates a younger, better version of herself. The Substance was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, where it had its world premiere, where it received a standing ovation. The film is the latest addition to the New French Extremity movement.
Review by Aaron Jones | Oct 08, 2024
Following the gorgeous, seemingly liberated Adriana as she chases her dreams in the Rome, I Knew Her Well is at once a delightful immersion in the popular music and style of Italy in the sixties and a biting critique of its sexual politics and the culture of celebrity. In 2008, the film was included on the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage’s 100 Italian films to be saved, a list of 100 films that "have changed the collective memory of the country between 1942 and 1978."
Review by Aaron Jones | Sep 24, 2024
An American travels to Bhutan searching for a valuable antique rifle and crosses paths with a young monk who wanders through the serene mountains, instructed by his teacher to make things right again. It was selected as the Bhutanese entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards, and was one of the 15 finalist films in the shortlist.