With the American sexual revolution in full swing in 1971, women in the Swiss mountain town of director Petra Volpe's film feel like they're missing out. In addition to the rigid societal expectations, they aren't even allowed to vote. Nora (Marie Leuenberger), a mother of two, is tired of looking after her cranky father-in-law, and she dreams of working as a travel agent, but her husband Hans (Max Simonischek), who recently received a raise, doesn't see the need and therefore doesn’t give his permission. When a women's action committee hands Nora some literature, she devours it hungrily, and—encouraged by a newly arrived Italian café owner—she applies for the agent job, lets down her hair, and invests in a pair of jeans. While Hans is out of town, she also joins the committee, which leads to townspeople turning against her (even her youngest son thinks she's just trying to be a man). When a community meeting fails to bridge the divide between the genders, the women go on strike. While the women swap sex advice (Nora has never had an orgasm), Hans attempts to cook. Although undeniably frustrated, Hans is a mild case compared to his coworkers, who are an almost cartoonishly brutish bunch. In Volpe's microcosmic take on a larger process, some of the town's marriages, like Nora's, improve as a result of women's rights, while others fall apart. Change isn't easy, and the men are never as sympathetic as the women in The Divine Order, which nicely captures a difficult but necessary struggle. Recommended. (K. Fennessy)
The Divine Order
Kino Lorber, 96 min., in Swiss German w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $29.99, Blu-ray: $34.99 Volume 33, Issue 4
The Divine Order
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