Nouvel ordre

The revolution will be bathed in, uh, green. An odd choice, and one that may excite environmentalists until it becomes quite clear that "New Order" is all about class struggle, and not climate change.

In his visceral dystopian Mexico City tale, director Michel Franco pushes buttons, many, many buttons. Class discrepancy is on crystal clear display via the glamourous wedding reception opening, interrupted by a former employee's desperate plea of funds to save his dying wife. Greeted with faint empathy, some not so well-disguised contempt, and an unsatisfactory handout, he is briskly and discretely ushered off the premises. When the heart of gold princess bride to be gets a whiff of the events, she bolts the mansion to save the day. The disrupted nuptial festivities is soon the least of the elites' niggling problems, as revolutionaries storm the grounds and matters get nasty mighty quick.

Touching similar themes (and cinematic flare) as "Parasite", "New Order" captures the explosive desperation when the haves meet the have-nots on level ground. Digging deep to turn the classes upside down, the focus is on the inherent greed and situational compassion dichotomy lurking in most everyone. It is uncomfortable, disruptive, vicious, anxiety inducing, and bluntly shocking. But unlike "Parasite", there are no moments of levity. No amusing interludes. No time to digest the revolving, evolving struggle. Barely time to take a breath. Many factions are involved, taking turns ruling the day, with corruption and merciless brutality the only common threads. It is a bleak, ninety minute commentary on a world that doesn't seem too far away, creating a provocative, powerful film.

The dystopia of fiction past is unfortunately an unsettling present day proposition in many parts of the world. How it plays out is anyone's guess. Franco's is now on the big screen.

• hipCRANK.