Review: The Orphanage

So I watched Orphanage from director Juan Antonio Buyona and written by Sergio G. Sanchez. I first saw adds for this movie on television and it was touted as "From Guillermo del Toro", so I thought well then it must be good cause he rocks. Then of course I found out he was only a producer on it. Still, I was intrigued cause to my knowledge Guillermo doesn't attach his name (no matter how peripherally) to stuff he thinks sucks. But I couldn't see the film in the theaters, and when it came out well...you would not believe the waiting list at the local library for this thing. But finally I watched it the other day, and I was very pleasantly surprised.

This movie reminded me in turns of Lady in White and Poltergeist and yes a little bit of Pan's Labyrinth. Of course going into it I was expecting something more scary than eerie and touching. I thought this was going to be more disturbing like a trip into the world of Silent Hill or something.

The acting is solid, though I don't think I can fully judge that since it's a movie in Spanish, which I don't speak beyond pleasantries (Hello, Goodbye, Thank you,..etc). I think the most standout performance for me was by Montserrat Carulla as Benigna. The second time you see her in the film she is skulking in a tool shed of sorts with a shovel, so it was mildly creepy for a very brief scene. I feel she adds a layer to the story while having very little dialog, and to me thats just good acting.



I think the strongest two points of the movie for me though were, Setting and Story. Briefly put, the story is that of a couple who move into an old orphanage that the wife use to live in as a child. Things seem eerie enough at first, but just as they are settling into the new home their son vanishes and no one can find him. The rest of the movie takes place over 6 more months of time. I don't want to say much more other than paranormal investigators are brought in, and the dark history of the orphanage (after the one parent had left as a child) comes to light. While I can't say that many of the events in the story are unique, as I've seen them in other movies and books, I will say the way they are presented felt highly original to me. In the end this was a ghost story dosed largely with maternal love and devotion, that has a darkly happy ending.

My favorite scene in the movie is that involving a trio of paranormal investigators (thats really too simple a word for what they do or believe, but its the best I've got without writing a dissertation to describe them) are brought in to sniff out Simon (the lost child). Its quite possibly the creepiest scene, and borders on frightening. This was very much like the best stuff I've seen from the television show "Ghost Hunters".



Now I've like to close with a little bit about the setting, my other strong point for the movie. The seaside house that is the orphanage is very interesting. Often times plot elements are revealed as new aspects/areas of the house are revealed to us the viewer. The house is big without being sprawling, thus allowing a cozy feeling place with just the right number of nooks and crannies for secrets to lay hidden. Also the seaside is used a couple of times very nicely, particularly a very creepy cave (which led to my one point of saying the mother was being stupid. Who lets there child go exploring a strange seaside cave alone.).

All in all this was a strong and unique movie. It surprised me by its depths of story and setting. This is a ghost story in the more classic tradition. The ghosts are restless and sad, but not necessarily evil. There is shock and horror in it, but not simply for shock and horrors sake (more as a byproduct of story elements and drama). I like this movie. Its different than what I expected it to be, and it has Spanish ghost hunters in it. I expect more and get far less from most movies, so I give it my stamp of approval. If you liked Pan's Laybrinth or The Others you will find this movie to your liking.

Jesse "Baron Ironfury" Stevens


Trailer