Hazy opening scenes of Woodstock, Janis Joplin and demonstrations give way to crisp wintry scenes of mountain snow and serenity and a small village.
The year is 1971 and in Switzerland women still do not have the right to vote.
In this incredible story director Petra Volpe explores not only the emotional and legal complications of womens' rights but also the timeless complexities of the human experience of both men and women.
In the most part, the transformation of a quietly unremarkable women Nora takes place during a two week period while her husband is away at the army reserve. Like a pebble thrown in the water the ripples of change that flow to those around her are gentle at first, until approaching referundum day a series of circumstances unite the women of the village.
But in no way is this serious subject portrayed heavily. The audience laughed and laughed and cried during one of the most touching films to which I have ever had the honour of bearing witness.
Winner of the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival Audience Award, this is a film that everyone should see. This is a film that reminds us how far we have come. The Divine Order is most relevant today as a reminder of how we have progressed as a society and the minutia of individual risk awareness transformation and fortitude that it took to achieve progress. It is a pertinent and profound reminder of how as individuals we need to stay true to ourselves. Of how we need to sustain these achievements and to continue our path of the evolution of human rights.
The Divine Order is screening as part of the 2017 Sydney Film Festival.
