AFI Fest: New Order
Monday, October 19, 2020 at 1:00PM 
It’s not often that I truly regret watching a movie. The rare occasions on which it does happen make me question my policy of reading as little as possible about a film before I see it. I might have, for instance, read these important disclaimers from Elisa’s brief rave review of Venice Film Festival Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize winner New Order: “it feels like your hope for the future of humanity is being beaten to death” and “‘Chilling’ does not even begin to describe the act of witnessing this story play out. Do not get attached to any of the characters.” I agree fully with those warnings and would add a few of my own when it comes to breaking down this brutal film…
The opening scene of New Order, which is screening at AFI Fest in the World Cinema category, shows us flashes of dead bodies piled up with green paint on many of them as patients in a hospital are forcibly removed to make way for more apparently urgent cases. Things look much better at a lavish and massive home where a wedding is set to take place, but they quickly turn sour when intruders scale the walls and the staff waiting on the guests force their employers to give up whatever they have on them and in their bank accounts. The bride, Marianne (Naian González Norvind), is sympathetic to a former employee who shows up to ask for the large sum necessary for his wife’s emergency surgery. She manages to leave the party before any chaos ensues, which sets her up for a far worse fate when she is kidnapped and ransomed by the military.
I’m not averse to watching fare that deals with disturbing content, and remember multiple moments from shows like The Handmaid’s Tale and Banshee that have haunted me since I saw them. The world has shown us that people are capable of doing terrible things, especially when left unchecked and in the spirit of overthrowing a malignant power. But there should be something redeeming in all of it, or at least a purpose that makes the story worth being told. Otherwise, it’s impossible to engage with a film’s premise, which, in this case, is off-putting and horrifying.
This film’s title suggests an inevitability of sorts that will eventually come to redefine the way the world works. Power structures cannot remain in place and will be toppled, and those who have been trampled on – the serving class, in this case – will see justice served. But what that posits, with Marianne at the center, is that a) doing good deeds means nothing and b) those who do go out of their way not to take advantage of their societal position will only be punished for their kindness. Marianne’s selfless attempt on her own wedding day to take a sick woman to the hospital results in immense suffering, something that members of her family and other guests who demonstrate no compassion avoid.
There is also indiscriminate violence (see again: Elisa’s point about not getting attached to any of the characters) that makes the notion of traveling in this film’s universe utterly terrifying. Marianne is one of the only good people, and almost everyone around her uses their station or seizes upon a moment of opportunity to hurt and take advantage of others. It might be a dystopia that isn’t so far from what some countries around the world experience, but it’s also so bleak that spending any time in it is excessively disturbing.
The experience of watching this film reminded me of The Painted Bird, the Czech finalist for Best International Feature from last year that just arrived on Hulu. There is undeniable artistry involved, and the cinematography offers a vivid and enlightening look at human behavior. But the plot is presented in such a vicious and unforgiving way, and there’s absolutely no optimism to be found at any point. I would probably assess my response to living through quarantine and the current pandemic as better than most, but visiting this world in 2020 is too desolate and depressing even for me.
After screening at AFI Fest this week, New Order will be released theatrically in Mexico on Friday.
Reader Comments (3)
Nuevo Orden, as is called in Spanish, has been very polemic in Mexico. Many people accuse it of being racist.
@ZxM I was gonna commented the same thing.
I watched the trailer in internet and the comments (all of them from people that haven't seen the film) argue that the movie wants to victimize to the named 'Whitexicans' and apareantly that are causing even more division between people than that already are. That matter about 'fifis' VS 'chairos' is a stupidity for me.
I'm gonna wait to watch the movie to have an opinion (I don't even readed this article) but really hope that the story has a more central and objetive opinion about the problems between high and low classes in México like the movie La Zona (The Zone) by Rodrigo Plá because is a very complex item as to reduce it to blame one of the two opposite parts about the problems in a society.
Abe has hit the nail on the head. New Order is a really strong bit of filmmaking, but it's disturbing and relentless at every turn. I watched it right before bed and realized only moments into the film that that was a huge mistake.
I'm curious if Mexico will submit it for the Oscars. It's definitely memorable, but mostly for reasons that could make it a tough sell to the Academy.
I'm not sure if it's eligible this year or next, but Tragic Jungle is another great Mexican film currently making the film festival circuit. I think I prefer it and it might be more palatable for the Academy as well.