LFF 2020: New Order
lffMichel Franco's latest exploitation feature, New Order, has come under quite the fascination in its festival run. In one breath, it is compared to Bong Joon Ho's academy award-winning Parasite but in the next it is engulfing the controversial fury and fire of utter sadism. Truth be told, Franco's film is both but has a stronger inclination to rest on the morals of the latter.
First and foremost, it is clear from the outset until its last second of what Franco's film is trying to showcase. It is not that the poor are bad or the rich inherently evil, as some have attested it to be. Franco's film takes its aim at big government as its role being played to orchestrate both parties against each other and stand as a two-faced prism that takes no blame but all the glory.
This theme offers a genuinely intriguing and engaging element to behold. Going against the political nationalism seen in more Hollywood blockbusters, Franco sets his site on the greed and double standard of who is the real enemy hiding in plain sight. Granted, there is zero subtlety and nuance to proceedings. In fact, past the film's first act it becomes a sadist fest, of which Pier Pablo Passolini would blush, and ultimately descends into the notion of pure evil showcased continuously.
It is a subject matter that many will appreciate Franco for showcasing it in all its murky and haunting fallout and, to be fair, when the director has a chance to craft more emotive and devastating implication rather than the clear and obvious violence that could be shown, he does. However, the sheer torturous volume is often so intense and perplexing; it has its viewers constantly battle graphic violence rather than the horrors that are deeper.
The director and editor Óscar Figueroa does a fantastic job of pacing this feature, in what slowly but surely engulfs the viewer. The duo builds in a slow but brooding fashion that both captivates and immerses in the growing threat that looms contextually.
The level of craft that is involved here continuously impresses. Director of photography Yves Cape captures a haunting beauty of both landscape and body. Offering these images with, often, a handheld camera fly-on-the-wall aesthetic, but also utilising long shots and zooms to keep the audience at bay for them to feel like a bystander.
However, anyone who comes away from this, regardless of their thoughts on Franco or his use of violence, will hold actress Naian González Norvind in high esteem. Norvind is spectacular here. Granted, she isn't utilised for the entire running time but the tenderness and aura that the actress embodies as Marianne offers a humanised and quite frankly devastating performance.
All in all, New Order is a success in how it conveys the double standard of authority, as well as governmental regime rule in the midst of chaos. However, its idea and narrative do not stretch to an upper echelon of elevated material, and while it is effective with what it presents, for many it will preach to an already tired choir.
