Movie Reviews~ Orphan (2009)

Directed by: Jaume Collet-Serra

Writers: Alex Mace, David Johnson

Genre: Thriller, Mystery

Released: August 2009

Starring: Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard and Isabelle Fuhrman

Star Rating: ***1/2

Movie theatres and video stores seem to be bulging at the brims with predictable, mediocre, run-of-the-mill horror flicks jam packed with gore and tried and tested shock tactics, dialogue and plot thrills to such an extent that if Bela Lugosi was to slump down on a comfy sofa with popcorn and supermarket snacks he'd be mouthing along with the script and suing for plagiarism.

It seems to be the flavour of the mouth to take fabulous screams and scares from the golden age of horror and churn out a near remake but with younger, unknown pre-adult actors and watch the box office bucks roll in; where is the passion, originality, the love for the screen.

The Orphan which promised to be yet another just good enough to pass production with it's stereotypical DVD cover and poor tag lines surprisingly sparked some life into this cynic firstly due to the appearance of familiar faces in the form of Vera Farmiga (Manchurian Candidate, The Departed) and Peter Sarsgaard (The Skeleton Key, Garden State).

As the story unravelled I felt a genuine connection to the hapless and hesitant but desperately loving and patient mother, Kate Coleman (Vera Farmiga) as she, questioning her aptitude after a painful still birth decides it's time to take all that love and understanding and devote it to an unfortunate child orphan.

Amazing supporting performances here by the Coleman's biological kids, the troubled adolescent Daniel (Jimmy Bennett) and the adorable, sign languaging, lip reading, curly haired cutie, Max (Aryana Engineer) born in 2001.

When Esther, creative, mature, pre-teen, loner instantly connects to the parents she is welcomed with into her new American family perfect in her polite manners and precise elocution. Her Elizabethan fashion sense and insistence upon accessorising with lace wrist bands and collar, not to mention her very adult understanding of erm...certain adult activities increases the suspicion of Kate, predictably maladjusted, paranoid, reformed alcoholic and mentally unstable after the lose of her baby.

As events and occurrences around Esther (hailing from Estonia) become more violent in their nature and relationships within the household breakdown in trust as the 9 year old manipulates already strained emotions the question of who Esther really is and where she came from becomes not only a curiosity but a matter of personal safety.

Good dialogue and establishing scenes with genuine and realistic characters and excellent performances all round. This movie has a compelling atmosphere and is original and ascetically creepy enough to bear with until you reach the juicier plot headlines and by the time you're there you are already hooked.

Some memorable lines:

Esther: Stop crying. Grab a foot, and help me get her off the road. Now!

Sister Abigail: I'm afraid I... may have made a mistake. I think there could be something wrong with Esther.
John Coleman: What? What do you mean? You told us that you never had any trouble with her.
Sister Abigail: I didn't. But trouble does have a way of finding her.

The synopsis is somewhat predictable but cleverly plays against the previous knowledge of the average cinema goer and injects enough doubt and mystery into the character development that the emphasis is shifted rightly to exposition and relating to the audience. Also with the amount of conventional red herrings being bandied about the dramatic twist, that for once does not rely 'except it it's paranormal and unexplainable' or high tech, over produced special effects does surprise and leaves the viewer satisfied.

Overall I would recommend watching this as one of the better thrillers recently released that gets lost among the dregs however not if you are bored by psychological revelations and non-monster mash movies. Not comparable to the old classics stepped in atmosphere and suspense but effortlessly seems to pay homage to them none the less. ***1/2 star rating.