SXSW: The dystopian visions of Executive Order & Witch Hunt
Wednesday, March 17, 2021 at 10:30PM 
It’s sadly not all that difficult to imagine our society slipping into dystopian territory, and while that might have seemed impossible here in America, recent events have suggested we’re not that far away from authoritarian misery. Cinema has long explored such inevitabilities, and it’s those “very near future” concepts that don’t look so different from what we know today that can be especially terrifying. They can also be insightful, strong pieces of filmmaking, and SXSW has two this year that are indeed frightening and thought-provoking...
Executive Order, from Brazil, imagines its Black population renamed as “high-melanin,” a move that might have been initially designed to curb discrimination on the basis of race and also tied in to calls for reparations for slavery. Yet in its bastardized execution, it has led to the government offering up voluntary relocation to Africa for all those citizens who wish. What begins as a humorous montage of people eagerly requesting to be sent to the allegedly African countries of Hawaii or Jamaica quickly turns deadly serious as the film’s title transforms its option into an immediate requirement for deportation.
Witch Hunt, from the United States, envisions a world where witchcraft is real but, unsurprisingly, has been outlawed. Teenagers are taught about the constitutional amendment that has banned it and subjected to swim tests in their high school gymnasium. Medieval punishment befits this medieval crime, as women are burned at the stake in modern-day Southern California and a sinister detective (Christian Camargo) goes around taking readings in search of hidden witches.
In addition to their depiction of a deeply troubling reality, these films share the commonality of a focus on resistance. In Executive Order, Antônio (Alfred Enoch) is a lawyer fully aware of his rights who knows that the government has no authority to actually come into his home. His wife Capitu (Taís Araujo), who is a doctor, discovers an underground colony that is seemingly self-sufficient and safe. In Witch Hunt, Claire (Gideon Adlon) is well aware that her mother (Elizabeth Mitchell) harbors witches on a regular basis in the thick walls of her house as they make their secretive and treacherous journey south to the Mexican border.
Both films feel far too much in realistic reach, reminiscent of The Handmaid’s Tale in their eerie similarity to modernity taken a few large steps backward. They’re both intense, suspenseful viewing experiences, with Executive Order playing like a sophisticated disaster movie with bureaucratic officials as the villains and Witch Hunt resembling a dated horror film where the haunting of the witches pales in comparison to the potential for evil by man. They’re united also in their capacity to trigger those who have been persecuted and their all-too-effective grasp on the slippery slope of rights being taken away from those declared different. What seems just as clear is that, if the world is indeed going to hell, there will always be people around to fight against oppression in whatever form.
Executive Order and Witch Hunt are both showing at SXSW Online 2021.
Reader Comments (4)
From what film is the first image from?
Executive Order is the first image. I know Alfred Enoch’s gorgeous face.
Wow! Taís Araújo on TFE! She’s a goddess!
As a Brazilian, I couldn't be more excited about Executive Order. Directed by Lazáro, a great actor of ours with an amazing cast: Taís Araújo (his wife and a wonderful actress), Seu Jorge, Adriana Esteves (the best Brazilian actress in activity in the country today, in my opinion), Emicida (one of our most important singers today) and Renata Sorrah, as well as Alfred Enoch making his debut in portuguese. Maybe it's the next Bacurau.