Well here’s a fresh ball of depression. In a plot more cynical than the Trump administration—just kidding, no single entity in the history of the Earth has ever been as cynical as the Trump administration, the enablers of the Trump administration, or the people who voted for the Trump administration. Hyperbole has its place, but there’s no point in attempting to out-selfish MAGA.
That said, New Order will remind you of Trump because an ugly coup happens in the first ten minutes. And while the coup appears to be fought by the little people, it seems orchestrated entirely by money. In fact, I was a little disappointed by that realization. You overthrew the government to hold people ransom for money? No philosophical or political motivation at all? Who would do that? Oh yeah, Trump. Do you think he truly believes in anything besides money? Shame on you.
But that’s beside the point…and I’m getting ahead of myself.
Imagine an upper class inner city wedding. Private estate. A walled compound. The well-to-do celebrating with champagne toasts and (what will prove) naïve pronouncements. All are oblivious to the chaos unfolding in the city around them. Do they not hear it? A minor spat breaks out over backpay and hospital bills needed by a former servant. This is all a false front. It’s not there to establish plot so much as get a feel for how the inner city classes are divided and how the well-to-do don’t do so much the “well.”
And then dudes start climbing over the walls. Now I’m no sociologist, but if dudes are deliberately picking your house to break into first when the shit hits the fan, well, you’ve pissed some people off; I can tell you that much. Our heroine here is newlywed whom imdb lists as Prisionero 21 (Samantha Yazareth Anaya). I suppose that’s a bit of a giveaway, but –and trust me on this point- if all you are offended by New Order is one spoiled plot point, you have achieved nirvana, my friend.
Chaos is the only way to describe what goes down. Mexico City has suddenly become a deadly labyrinth of riot parades and 
paint-smearing traps. The dead ends are now literally dead ends. Are the police involved? The soon-to-be Prisionero 21 has decided she needs to check on a relative who may be in danger. This is a mistake. Un error grande.
New Order isn’t fun, isn’t forgiving, isn’t likeable, isn’t fair, and will disturb you for days. This isn’t the kind of film where you stand up and cheer at the end for the triumph of the human spirit; this is the kind of film that poli-sci majors are forced to watch for extra credit and then grumble about all the same. One quibble I only hinted at earlier is I really wanted to see the philosophy of the coup on display. I feel like this attack went straight from “power to the people” to extortion, the latter of which has nothing to do with a people’s revolution. Why do you need money when you’re reinventing the economy? But for that flaw, this is a picture absolutely determined to make you think about what’s important to you whether you want to or not. And for that, I applaud it.
Revolution paves the way for an autocrat
Police, friend or foe? Tell me, stat!
With assholes and scars
This one is just like ours
Except there’s no idiot in a Viking hat
Rated R, 88 Minutes
Director: Michel Franco
Writer: Michel Franco
Genre: Our screwed future
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Political historians
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: The bourgeoisie
3 stars (out of 4)
