I saw this film when it opened on July 24, 2009. Mixed reviews from fans and critics were the usual flair upon its release, but something struck me about this movie. The film went on to gross $37 million at the box-office despite the thrashing it took from critics, but everyone couldn’t help but notice the Oscar-nomination worthy performance of its 12-year-old star Isabelle Fuhrman. I just viewed the film on DVD for the first time since its theaterical run and I’m still seeing just how riveting and engaging this movie really is.
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“Orphan” is NOT a horror film. It’s more along the lines of a SUSPENSE THRILLER. When I think of horror films, I think of sex-crazed teenagers being sliced up one-by-one by a machete-wielding maniac (Jason Voorhies, Freddy Krueger, Micheal Myers, etc.). The only real weapons wielded here is just a hammer, a knife, and a .38-caliber pistol. You think scary when it comes to horror films and “Orphan” isn’t scary. Has some frightful moments, yes, but scary? Wishful thinking!
Set in the winter-bound parts of Conneticut & Canada, the story centers on the Coleman family: Kate (Vera Farmiga), a Yale University music teacher recovering from alcoholism and bouts of depression after having a stillborn from her third pregnancy; John (Peter Sarsgaard), an architech whose nice guy persona overshadows his increasing issues with Kate that led to past affairs; Max (Aryana Engineer), their deaf 5-year-old daughter who communicates through sign language and their oldest son Daniel (Jimmy Bennett), who feels bitterly neglected & increasingly isolated from his parents. As a way of coping with the loss of their would-be 2nd daughter, Jessica, and to amend their existence as a family, Kate & John make a fateful decision to adopt a young girl at the local orphanage.
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It is here where they meet Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman), a sweet-looking 9-year-old Russian girl harboring some deep-seeded issues of her own despite her angelic smile and sympathetic mannerisms. Upon arriving home with new stepdaughter in tow, a series of events unravel to make everyone question the background and sincerity of this little girl. Daniel dislikes her immediately, Max forms an unhealthy bond with her new stepsister, Kate begins to seek out further information about Esther’s background, & John just plays Devil’s Advocate with all that occurs involving Esther. What’s wrong with Esther? Is it true that behind the smile of this little angel beats the heart of a psycho killer?
The answer, and the big secret about who she really is, lies within the confines of this 123-minute thriller. I agree with everyone here that it moves at a near-torturous snail’s pace, that being the film’s major fatal flaw. But the story itself is so entralling and engaging, you can’t help but to excuse that misfire. Fuhrman’s performance alone keeps you involved in the twists and turns entrenched here. Only a young, superbly talented actress like Fuhrman was able to pull off a psychological undertaking of switching from sympathetic manipulator to disturbed sadist and it’s why I feel she should get an Oscar nod. But due to the overall dislike of the film itself from most critics and for her young age, she probably won’t get anywhere near sniffing distance of the balloting.
Nonetheless, I was so inspired by this film and became such a fan that I created my own 20-song, hard-rock CD Mix (liner notes & all) of songs inspired by the movie (my own psuedo-soundtrack, if you will, but John Ottman’s score was cool). Seemingly destined to go down as a cult favorite, if not a classic, “Orphan” was a solid & enjoyable thrill ride that’s essentially “The Hand That Rocks The Cradle”, “The Good Son”, “The Crush”, and a more mean-spirited version of “Problem Child” all rolled into one. That’s why this movie isn’t a horror despite being classified as one. This film has a depth, substance, and intuitiveness to it that Jason, Micheal, & Freddy couldn’t touch with a bloddy axe. Just take sweet, little Esther home and let her hold you, thrill you, kiss you, …. kill you!!! Can someone out there please say “CULT CLASSIC”? - DEM -
Many people find that describing the movie to give a movie review is the way to go. Usually, I refrain, but on this occasion, I will include the plot. A husband and wife, already with two children of their own (one who is deaf) lose their third child during labor. They resort to adopting an orphan–a 9-year-old, seemingly intelligent and kind-hearted, little Russian girl. Much to their dismay, what seems to be the perfect adoption turns into anything but. The movie moves at a slow but determined pace for the first 45 minutes or so, but then the rockin’ starts to rollin’ as the story spirals into a cacophony of strangeness accompanied with mountains of vindictive mayhem. Many reviews I have read had a problem with the twist; I thought it to be VERY COOL, and something that could become reality in the realm of possibility, which makes it all the more founded, thus being all the more horrific. Just before the twist; however, something happened that made me think, “Okay, here we go…right back into the silly Hollywood horror film crap that has been bombarding us throughout the beginning of the new century.” But when the twist hits and everything finally makes sense, I was thankfully pulled from that train of thought and taken back into a bizarre and wonderful story. Dark Castle Entertainment has done a LOT of movies that I simply love (Gothika, Ghost Ship, and Thirteen Ghosts.) This one will have to go into that group of five-star movies. Don’t miss it!
FIVE STARS ***** for everything being done the way it should be done!
