Les ordres (Orders)

The most political film by legendary Canadian director Michel Brault, Les ordres is a clear, vivid docudrama depiction of the October Crisis, the 1970 event that saw martial law invoked after the abduction of Quebec’s labour minister Pierre Laporte and British diplomat James Cross by members of the Front de Libération du Québec (FLQ).

Following five individuals over those harrowing days, the film uses colour and black-and-white cinematography to blur the lines between fact and fiction. Brault’s masterful film treats the difficult subject with sensitivity and care.

This film won Brault the Cannes Film Festival’s Best Director prize and he remains the only Canadian filmmaker to achieve that distinction.