The 99-percenters are raging in writer-director Michel Franco’s frightening portrayal of a world where those who are the have nots have it with the haves and are taking immediate and often brutally violent action.
The setting is serene. The Spanish language film commences at a high society wedding and everyone is there to honor the bride and groom, Marianne (Naian Gonzalez Norvind) and Cristian (Fernaund Cuautle). Their family, their friends have all gathered to celebrate the love that is meant to last eternal. Instead, they get caught in the middle of an uprising, coupled with a government all too willing to shut down everything in the name of maintaining order. Each side may be taking things too far, but one thing is for sure, those caught in the crossfire will never be the same.
It was a day that was to be about as blissful as any day could achieve. Yet by its conclusion, there is a horror permeating every ounce of New Order that rivals the spooks and scares of the classic Hollywood milieu of horror. But the thing is, Franco’s film is as much of a political statement as one could make without hitting the audience over the head with its message. This is subtle, in the sense that not much has to be said for us the viewer to understand the rage and lack of hope that those who are waging this battle are undertaking and have experienced throughout their entire family linage.
At first, those at the wedding try to negotiate, offer watches and money. Those who are attacking will take those things, of course, but stature and luxury are not what these folks are after. This is revenge for generations of hurt, lack of opportunity, and downright suppression of the lower classes. Even though this story took place in a high-brow neighborhood within the borders of Mexico, it could easily be applied to any society the globe over. From the United States to the European Union and Down Under in Australia. There is an unspoken rage that is capitalized by Franco through his lens that is palpable. Then, those in power use that rage against the establishment to motivate those in the military to crush the resistance, using any means necessary. It’s a power play movie and all about who has the power and in what form. It is a fascinating study in human dynamics and more.
This is the epitome of the ensemble piece. There is no one in the cast more out front than anyone else. Well, that except for the bride and groom. But before too long, they too become a casualty of this uprising and each will have entirely different experiences before any kind of order is installed. The thing is… will order be the way of the day? After all, it becomes pretty clear that the military sees this unrest as an excuse to do whatever they want. Roads are closed. Marianne at one point is trying to take her former employee’s wife to a hospital for emergency surgery. The military could not care. The road is closed. Period. End of story.
The film starts innocent enough. It is a wedding at a wealthy home in Mexico. What else is clear is something is going on. It involves the color green, but we get the sense that is the hue of the revolutionary facets of the 99-percenters who have clearly had enough. But before you can say a single Salute to the lucky couple, revolutionaries with green paint splattered over their bodies, have scaled the wall to this exclusive compound. Their faces are blank. But there is no question what their motivations are, and it is a fact that this day will conclude with those expectations being met.
It is not one of the movies where you can predict how it could end. Think again. New Order keeps you guessing where this is going throughout. Nothing is a given. What is so fascinating is a film that starts by talking about the haves and the have nots evolves into a movie about the extent to which governments will take control in order to ensure peace. Oftentimes, as history has shown, they take it too far. Think about the United States after 9/11 and the Patriot Act, the torture of prisoners—these are all very un-American ideals that were allowed to happen all in the name of safety. That is exactly what happens here and for a long stretch of New Order, it is hard to tell who the bad guys are, who are the good guys, and who is frankly is an innocent.
Writer-director Michael Franco has created not only a commentary on today’s society but a good old fashion thrill ride of a cinematic experience. It also shows that foreign cinema is a terrific place to discover hidden movie gems that will stick with you, long after those credits roll. From the get-go, you are engrossed in Franco’s story. The wedding is taking place and seemingly rich people are having a ball, sipping champagne, and basking in the glow that is the love of Marianne and Christian. It is their wedding day, but a longtime employee shows up and asks for an enormous amount of money. It seems that due to the revolutionaries, all of the hospitals have been emptied out. His wife needs emergency heart surgery, and he does not have the money to go to a private clinic. He is given some money by Marianne’s parents but told to find help elsewhere. Marianne takes pity on him and within minutes is transported from rich person heaven to vengeful poor people hell.
This is a film that could have been made here in America, Canada, or any other western nation. That’s what makes it so bloody haunting. Especially as the rich get ever so richer (especially since the pandemic, wealth for the top of the top one-percenters have added billions upon billions). We have seen people take to the streets in the United States demanding action. There is one timeline in this country that could easily see what occurs in New Order as something that could occur here.
The film is taut, clocking in at just under 90 minutes. As such, director Franco and his cast waste no time in amping up the reality, the struggle, and the casualties. It is as raw as cinema can achieve.
The film will make you think. It will make you reevaluate the distribution of wealth in this country and the western world and how it affects the larger population here in America, and honestly… the glove over. It’s not like those who have “it” do anything but try to flaunt it. Some of the most popular television programs (Kardashians, anyone?) deal with extreme wealth while many citizens of many countries go to bed each night hungry. This is in no way an endorsement of what occurs in New Order, it is merely a suggestion that we better watch ourselves better we check ourselves.
Grade: A-