Orders

As a Canadian, it's a part of events from a different POV

Pretty cool to have movie from Quebec history in extraordinary quality. Thanks to Elephant and Canadian International Pictures.

Orders is a powerful piece of Canadian documentary filmmaking. What struck me most is how calmly it observes something so disturbing, with ordinary people being arrested and detained during the October Crisis simply because the authorities decided they might be a problem. There is no need to sensationalize any of it because the stories are unsettling enough on their own. I found it fascinating as a piece of Canadian history, but also rather sobering in the way fear can so quickly be used to justify taking away people’s rights. Another excellent CIP release and exactly the sort of film I probably would never have encountered without the label.

Pair this one with Crisis: The October Crisis.

I had never seen or heard of this film and knew extremely little about the circumstances it chronicles. This is a masterwork of filmmaking. The way the camera moves is entrancing and haunting. The performances are incredible. Calling this a "mockumentary" might give the wrong impression, but it employs a documentary aesthetic, including interviews with the characters a la The Office or Modern Family. But this is a drama from start to finish. There is no levity; in fact it's genuinely one of the scariest films I've ever seen. Despite being very much of the 70s in terms of hair, cars, clothes, etc. it also feels timeless or completely out of time. Just a magnificent film.

Includes an abundance of extras. It has fantastic video and audio quality.