Nuevo orden

As "New Order" (2020 release from Mexico; 86 min.) opens, there is upheaval in a hospital, as lot of wounded and dead are brought in, resulting from social protests in the streets. In a parallel story, an upper class family is getting ready for a wedding, and the guests are arriving, but the judge who will officiate the wedding is late due to the protests. Things are becoming increasingly chaotic... At this point we are 10 min. Into the film but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this is the latest film from Mexican writer-director Michel Franco ("After Lucia"). Here he brings a "what if" social and political tale, set in Mexico City: what if social unrest leads to a violent military coup? The film observes the chaos of it all, and also what it means for the class inequities. Beware: there are a number of very disturbing scenes including torture, rape and execution-style murders. Yet the film also is incredibly well paced and it all flies by in no time. When the end titles started rolling, I thought to myself, "holy crap, what did I just watch?".

The movie premiered at the 2020 Venice Film Festival, where it won one of the top prizes, and it wasn't long before NEON snapped up the US distribution rights. Then COVID-10 changed the world... The film finally was released this weekend, and my art-house theater here Cincinnati had it on it schedule. The Sunday early evening show where I saw this at turned out to be a private screening: I was literally the only person in the theater. (Please note that upon its release in Mexico, this film was rebuked critically by many for being "classist and racist". I must admit it never crossed my mind while watching this.) If you are in the mood for a disturbing social and political "what if" from Mexico, I'd suggest you check this out, be it in the theater (while you still can), on VOD, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion.

Starts soft and salty. Depicted in this movie is to some degree already happening in some countries of Latin America, so no news for me at least. The Ending is what makes this film true to life, somewhat grotesque, scary, but so sad and realistic at the same time.. one thing to add here is the camera they used to shot the film.. a top notch quality camera , and cinematography is not bad either.

This is the first film by this director for me, but from very first moments he captured my attention by his approach to the story. Contrary to the most American films' depictions of Mexican society and dramatization of "good guys" and "bad guys", this one shows the roots of violence and brutal nature of inequality. Script lacks more details on the plot but overall it is an effective and provocative attempt by this promising film maker.

The revolution will be bathed in, uh, green. An odd choice, and one that may excite environmentalists until it becomes quite clear that "New Order" is all about class struggle, and not climate change.

In his visceral dystopian Mexico City tale, director Michel Franco pushes buttons, many, many buttons. Class discrepancy is on crystal clear display via the glamourous wedding reception opening, interrupted by a former employee's desperate plea of funds to save his dying wife. Greeted with faint empathy, some not so well-disguised contempt, and an unsatisfactory handout, he is briskly and discretely ushered off the premises. When the heart of gold princess bride to be gets a whiff of the events, she bolts the mansion to save the day. The disrupted nuptial festivities is soon the least of the elites' niggling problems, as revolutionaries storm the grounds and matters get nasty mighty quick.

Touching similar themes (and cinematic flare) as "Parasite", "New Order" captures the explosive desperation when the haves meet the have-nots on level ground. Digging deep to turn the classes upside down, the focus is on the inherent greed and situational compassion dichotomy lurking in most everyone. It is uncomfortable, disruptive, vicious, anxiety inducing, and bluntly shocking. But unlike "Parasite", there are no moments of levity. No amusing interludes. No time to digest the revolving, evolving struggle. Barely time to take a breath. Many factions are involved, taking turns ruling the day, with corruption and merciless brutality the only common threads. It is a bleak, ninety minute commentary on a world that doesn't seem too far away, creating a provocative, powerful film.

The dystopia of fiction past is unfortunately an unsettling present day proposition in many parts of the world. How it plays out is anyone's guess. Franco's is now on the big screen.

• hipCRANK.

Despite the title and in-your-face political overtones, "New Order" doesn't really say anything much about class struggle, conflict, or wealth distribution with any specificity or insight. It just takes the ruthless divide between the haves and the have-nots in Mexico (I totally agree with criticisms that whatever it does try to say is shown from the point of view of the 1%) and uses it as a pretext to showcase expert craft in creating tension and bathing the screen in blood. I know that it seems like it has something political to say, but aside from a kind of undeveloped (and generally cheap) cynicism about the corruption of the ruling elites (kind of undermined by zero development of the oppressed), this is just a taut, expertly directed thriller that happens to be set during a fictional uprising and coup. The sights of Mexico's flag waving occasionally onscreen are part of the exploitation of political symbols for what is ultimately an entertaining, tense B-movie thriller, with stylistic flourishes of Michael Haneke. If you watch it with that in mind, you can admire its craft.