Orderers

This movie is not about action, it is not about special effects, it is about injustice. The persons portrayed in this movie did not die, nor did they suffer tremendous pain. But, for no valid reason, their liberty was taken from them because of the law instated to counter terrorist acts happening during "la crise d'octobre". You cannot compare this movie to a war film because it isn't, neither can it be compared to a drama because it is not that either. It is made in a documentary structure, sometimes showing us the people involved, sometimes, showing us the impressions of the actors playing them, and how they were disturbed by the whole idea.

This movie is based on testimonies of people detained without recourse during the crisis of October 1970. This film is meant as a reminder for everyone that, as much a government can be civilized, as much it can abuse its power to protect itself with fear.

If you watch this movie, do not expect twists and turns, do not expect violence, do not expect special effects... do not expect anything but humanity. The mere fact that someone can be deprived from freedom, even just for a few days, can leave a sour taste. I don't think this movie was made to be a statement, but rather to be disturbing, as the events it tells.

Les ordres (Orderers) is about a dark period of Canada (more specifically Quebec) that the rest of the world might not be familiar with. Its message is so universal, it points out how precarious our rights are, and how even in a free, and democratic country such things can happen. It takes a lot of original choices concerning the use of color and the introduction of characters, but it is also what makes that film unique and memorable.

One of the great engaged movie of the seventies. This a real drama with its atmosphere from such a Kafka. The filming is very simple and precise. The actors are convincing and sincere. This particular way of sharing movie and documentary is very interesting and powerful. Michel Brault gave us once a cinema lesson in the University of Québec in Montréal. He told us to direct movie with the stomach, not only with the head. So I realized that even a great director like him could create through emotions more than spirit. So feel the movie and you'll discover soon enough what you understood through the movie. For every person who loved this movie, I recommend "Punishment Park" directed the same year by an English guy in USA, Peter Watkins. You can find this rare movie on IMDb.

This would be a compelling and scary film if it were fiction. But it is in fact, a docudrama based on the worrisome events of the Quebec crisis of 1970. Canadians adulate Pierre Trudeau but forget that he was the one who unleashed a police state on a free country. (We never learn, do we? We did it to the Ukranians in World War I, to the Japanese in World War II and now to Arabs and Muslims. But I digress.) "Les Ordres" captures the gritty reality of working class Montreal with stark black and white footage, punctuated with occasional but effective colour. It takes the unusual but also effective step of having the actors discuss the people they play within the body of the film.

I was left with an understanding of how something like the Gestapo can come about in a civilized society if police are given unfettered powers. The Quebec police and the RCMP came very close to the Gestapo model. Although there were no significant abuses outside Quebec, the law applied to all of Canada. I was a broadcaster in Toronto at the time and it was frightening to realize that for a time freedom of the press did not exist in Canada. This is a powerful and compelling work that deserves wider exposure. It also should be shown in schools as a fundamental example and a discussion starter on the importance of civil rights and the fragility of freedom.

...they took my friend away. A 16 years old high school kid whose sole mistake was going to a political rally mainly to see a performing artist. The weeks he spent in detention changed him forever. This film is a necessary testament so nobody forgets these dark times in Quebec's history.