Satire, Sex, and Sincerity Share the Stage

Read Time:4 Minute, 54 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
Underground Orange
–

Genre: Comedy, Drama
Year Released: 2024, 2025
Runtime: 1h 25m
Director(s): Michael Taylor Jackson
Writer(s): Michael Taylor Jackson
Cast: Sofía Gala Castiglione, Vera Spinetta, Michael Taylor Jackson, Bel Gatti, Gianluca Zonzini, Kevin Johansen, Heinz K. Krattiger, Jimena Carol, Ignacio Giménez, Roma Castelli
Where to Watch: 9-city North American theatrical tour beginning June 5, 2025, see where here: www.bajonaranja.com

RAVING REVIEW: When an American backpacker lands in Buenos Aires, expecting adventure and perhaps a bit of romanticized self-discovery, the last thing he anticipates is becoming an unwitting performer in a politically charged underground theater group. Yet that’s exactly where he ends up in UNDERGROUND ORANGE. This flirts with satire, activism, and surreal comedy while poking at global power structures and the hypocrisy of national identity. It’s an offbeat, sometimes erratic but undeniably thought-provoking ride.

This is a playful jab at the very concept, quickly subverting any expectations of heartfelt epiphanies through scenic backdrops. Michael Taylor Jackson, who also stars as the stranded American known only as Yanqui, doesn’t paint himself as a savior or victim. Instead, his character acts as an awkward lens through which a whole host of ideologies and tensions are refracted, especially as he becomes entangled with a warehouse-dwelling crew of artists who seem to live by a manifesto as much as they do by emotion.

At the core is the contrast between Yanqui’s obliviousness and the fierce intentionality of the art collective that adopts him. Known as Bajo Naranja, this makeshift family is less about comfort and more about confrontation, through their art, relationships, and personal philosophies. They’re loud, loving, and not especially forgiving. One moment they’re lip-syncing to classic hits on rooftops; the next, they’re plotting acts of rebellion while arguing about historical responsibility and moral consequences. There's a surprising amount of structure, particularly in how it handles the relationship between performance and politics.

Jackson’s decision to play the lead adds a strange meta layer to the story, especially since the character’s journey parallels elements of the director’s own life. But instead of becoming self-indulgent, the film finds strength in tackling discomfort. The film transforms tourism into symbolic accountability by making Yanqui the stand-in for a major American political figure in the group’s production—a figure whose real-life policies devastated entire nations. What starts as theater gradually becomes reality, forcing both the character and the viewer to confront histories that are easier to ignore.

Supporting performances from Sofía Gala Castiglione and Vera Spinetta help ground the film even when the plot drifts into the abstract. Their characters embody the tension between community and ideology, offering glimpses of affection and vulnerability that counterbalance the louder political points. While their arcs aren’t necessarily given full closure, they still register as emotionally honest, especially within the ensemble-driven structure of the piece.

The subplot involving the potential kidnapping of a U.S. ambassador is unprocessed, serving more as a gesture than a fully fleshed-out pivot. The stakes rise, but the payoff doesn’t entirely match the buildup. And while the film thrives on being unconventional, some of its swings feel abrupt, leaving moments that might have hit harder instead come off as stylistic.

Despite these limitations, there’s an undeniable spark in how UNDERGROUND ORANGE approaches its material. It doesn’t just attempt to critique systems of power—it also mocks the passivity with which so many interact with those systems. Its commentary on polyamory, sustainable living, and cultural guilt might not always be subtle, but it’s presented with enough self-awareness to feel genuine rather than performative.

Ultimately, the film excels most when it leans into its punk ethos: unpolished, unafraid, and unwilling to conform. It's not trying to win over everyone, and that’s part of its appeal. As a debut, it’s brimming with ideas and eager to stretch the limitations of genre and tone. While it may not be perfect, it's commitment to standing for something—even in the messiness where it finds its power.

UNDERGROUND ORANGE offers a thoughtful, sometimes chaotic portrait of what happens when cultural introspection collides with underground performance. For all its rough edges and erratic pacing, it leaves behind questions worth grappling with and images that linger longer than expected. It challenges and stumbles, but it dares—enough to earn it a closer look.

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[photo courtesy of 25TH FRAME, APOLO CINE, CINENATURA, CRUDOFILMS, INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE CINE Y ARTES AUDIOVISUALES (INCAA,) UPSTREAM FILM, CINETREN]

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