THE DIVINE ORDER

2018 | DIR. PETRA BIONDINA VOLPE | REVIEW BY GLENN COCHRANE.

Of the endless social issues that have been addressed in cinema, women’s suffrage has been given minimal attention, with the prominent examples being meagre enough to count on one hand. We all know the powerful chorus sung proudly by Glynis Johns in Mary Poppins, and 2015 film Suffragette gathered mainstream attention, but I’d wager there would be few people who could confidently list too many other titles about the subject. It’s an ironic reflection of the issue itself, and perhaps now with Hollywood transitioning through a fundamental equality movement, such stories might become more prominent and recognised.

The new Swiss film The Divine Order tells the story of Nora (Marie Leuenberger), a meek and mild housewife who becomes a beacon of change in her small, traditional village during the early 1970s. While the world around them was changing with movements like black power, flower power, student marches and a sexual revolution, Switzerland was years behind, being one of the last Westernised countries to grant women the right to vote, let alone addressing the myriad of other social issues. Nora’s home village is sheltered from outside influence and life is simple. Men and women have their “traditional” roles to play, and life for the women was to serve their husbands and families without reservation.

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