

SYNOPSIS: Switzerland, 1971: Nora is a young housewife and mother who lives with her husband, their two sons and her father-in-law in a little village. Here, in the Swiss countryside, little or nothing is felt of the huge social upheavals that the movement of May 1968 has caused. Nora’s life, too, has been unaffected; she is a retiring, quiet person, well liked by everyone – until she begins to campaign publicly and pugnaciously for women’s right to vote, an issue that will be put before the male voters on February 7th, 1971.

Impeccably acted and stunningly shot, The Divine Order is a film very much relevant in today’s political climate. In the continued fight against the patriarchy, we must first educate ourselves on how far we’ve come. This film demonstrates the power of women as a collective entity fueled by passion in pursuit of equality. With fully fleshed out female characters that are nuanced and honest, writer/director Petra Volpe has given us a true cinematic gift.
Tribeca Film Festival 2017
| Won Audience Award |
Narrative Petra Biondina Volpe |
| Won Jury Award |
Best Actress in an International Narrative Feature Marie Leuenberger “For a performance that is patient, intelligent and graceful, that captured the liberation of a … More |
| Won Nora Ephron Prize |
Petra Biondina Volpe
“For its intrepid and compassionate storytelling, beautiful cinematography (DP-ed by a woman), … More |
| Nominated Jury Award |
Best International Narrative Feature Petra Biondina Volpe |
Official Sites:
Country:
Language:
German | English | Italian | Swiss German
Release Date:
27 October 2017 (USA)






















I have to be honest. I had extremely high hopes for Salt and Fire based on Werner Herzog‘s direction and the star studded cast of Michael Shannon, Veronica Ferres, and Gael Garcia Bernal. Boy, oh boy, was I disappointed. Filled over the brim with overly philosophical quotes and MIA cast members, I struggled to even finish the film. The disjointed feeling of the plot and the hyper theatrical dialogue delivery in the first half of the film are pretty brutal. Michael Shannon, however, gives another sterling performance especially considering what he’s been given to work with. The ending, the final 10 minutes of the film, is so syrupy I sort of just sat there with my mouth open. Maybe it’s just me. Maybe, somehow, the film is over my head. At this point, I just can’t tell. By all means, be your own judge. You can find the trailer below:
THE ASSIGNMENT
Director Walter Hill gives the revenge film a modern neo-noir twist with this electrifying thriller. Hitman Frank Kitchen (Michelle Rodriguez) is given a lethal assignment, but after being double-crossed, discovers he’s no longer the man he was. Having been surgically altered, Frank now has the body of a woman. Seeking vengeance, he heads for a showdown with his assailant (Sigourney Weaver), a brilliant surgeon with a chilling agenda of her own.
The film is structured in a Sin City meets iZombie format with graphic novel transitions and narration. The premise is interesting and certainly engages your attention without pause. The Assignment has caused some stir in the transgender community, as our hero/villain’s view of his/her transition is on the rather negative side. That being said, if you woke up the opposite gender, you might be a tad peeved as well. The action is tempered with monologues from Sigourney Weaver‘s character. My only complaint there? I wish there had been more visual to back those stories up as some run at quite a length.
Michelle Rodriguez does a great job with both genders, keeping the masculine edge once she wakes up a woman. Without prior knowledge of the plot, you may think that a very thin Oscar Isaac had tackled the first half of the role. It’s pretty uncanny. Her past work in action films is on full view with her natural handling of weapons and aggressive presence. `It’s a pretty fearless performance. Weaver as Dr. Kay has an eccentric air to her speech patterns and carriage, even when she’s in a straight jacket. Tony Shaloub as Dr.Galen is a perfect foil for Weaver and the appearance by Anthony LaPaglia is casting heaven.
On the whole. The Assignment is different in a good way. Engrossing and lively, you can’t go wrong. Check out the trailer below.




This insightful doc is has a gorgeous structure. Including sit-down interviews with local police, Linda’s family, and narrated passages from Linda’s diary entries, the impact of God Knows is massive. It’s heart-wrenching as you slowly realize that this poor woman’s death could have easily been prevented. The system failed her in an atrocious way. As Bishop descends into starvation and deeper mental state, we already know the writing on the wall, but that does not make the outcome any less shocking. While difficult to watch on many levels, it’s an important and timely film in many ways in our national discussion of how we treat mental illness as a nation. I highly recommend you catch God Knows Where I Am this Friday, March 31st. Check out the trailer below for a peek into this sad true story.
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