The Orphanage
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Movie Reviews of The Orphanage
Movie Review: A good old fashioned ghost story
Summary: 5 Stars
The Orphanage is one of the best genre horror films in recent memory period. To be sure, there have been unique horror films that have transcended the genre. But every now and then, it's nice to sit down and watch a good chiller that has all of the neccessary ingredients to frighten, terrify, and possibly even move you.
Guillermo Del Toro serves merely as a producer on this piece while Juan Antonio Bayona directs. The subject matter has the feel of Del Toro and that may have a little to do with why his name is attached to this. The story involves Laura and her husband Carlos and their purchase of Laura's childhood orphanage. She wants to reopen it as a home for kids with special needs.
She has a son, Simon. He's very sick, but does not know it. He has imaginary friends who become ever more apparent as the film progresses. The thing is, throughout the film we are faced with a question. Are these imaginary friends possibly ghosts. Well they may be if you believe in them.
That's really the film's success is that you really are guessing to the very end about what's going on. Even then, I've seen film goers with various theories about the film, which makes Boyona's debut all the more auspicious. But it's more than twists and turns that make this film. It's got an eerie ambience. Big old houses are breeding grounds for horror on film. Boyona knows this and uses it to his advantage.
The film's emotional appeal is another enjoyable facet of this film. The characters are incredibly complex. Laura is the unlikely horror heroine. She's smart, but obviously terrified of what is going on. She's unrelenting and very resourceful. She's not your usual horror character. Really, we are faced with none of the usual horror arechtypes in this film.
Boyona's film is fairly straight-forward suspense-horror. But it's delivered quite well and is one of the most enjoyable ghost type horror films I've seen in years. If the Asian horror genre is starting to feel dried up, then Boyona might open up the door for more horror masters from Spain and beyond.
Movie Review: Supernatural Thriller as Meditation on History and Reality
Summary: 5 Stars
Like Victor Erice's exquisite masterpiece Spirit of the Beehive (1973) & the films of Guillermo Del Toro (Cronos, Devil's Backbone & Pan's Labyrinth)this film transcends the supernatural genre and succeeds on a much higher level as the film functions not only as a very effective thrill and chill ride but also as a profound meditation on the individual's relationship to history (personal and collective, social and political history) and the individual's (highly subjective) relation to "reality."
Hollywood productions have become so steeped in the artificial enhancement of reality--and the artfullness of the Hollywood film has become so compromised by star charisma and artless formula-- that alternative and international cinema are the only places to go for a glimpse of artfully explored reality and artful/soulful performances. Art does still exist, after all, its just Hollywood that has ceased to support it.
Plus this film is truly scary in the way that Turn of the Screw, the Henry James novella (and the film version of that novella, The Innocents), is scary.
For me substantively this film does not quite succeed on the same level as Spirit of the Beehive or Pan's Labyrinth, primarily because the film is not as invested in the political as those more accomplished works (which masterfully use supernatural content to comment on the politically enmeshed psyche's of their troubled/tortured protoganists). But the excitement of the film is in seeing that the remarkable traditions/accomplishments of recent (and not so recent) Spanish cinema will (hopefully) continue on into the next generation. This is a filmaker who has studied his master's (pacing, lighting, suspenseful quiet, evocative atmospheres...) well. Though the film is not as substantively rich as Erice's masterwork or Del Toro's work it is a pleasure to see that fine films with subtitles can still find their way in to American Movie theatres (even mall cineplexes). With everyone else who has seen this film, I look forward to seeing this director's future work.
Movie Review: One of the creepiest films I have seen in a long time.
Summary: 5 Stars
THE ORPHANAGE is scary. Not Hollywood-hey-let's-show-all-our-cards scary. I'm talking about cover your eyes, look away, symbolic terror. A woman wiping her face with what we know to be human ashes. Creepy figures half-seen and then gone. This is a film that gets under your skin.
The plot is fairly simple: Laura moves into the orphanage where she grew up. With her is her adopted son Simon and her husband Carlos. Before moving into the Orphanage, Simon had two imaginary friends; after a day in the new place, he has six. And then a strange old lady shows up...and then Simon goes missing. Months pass, and eventually Laura feels compelled--against her husband's wishes--to seek help from beyond.
The film plays with typical horror stereotypes: creepy old buildings; creepy little children; creepy old people. What makes everything work here is director J.A. Bayona's understated style; he doesn't spell things out for us, he lets the tension--and character development--build, until we reach a gut-wrenching climax. You can see it coming, of course; the problem with horror films these days is that there's not a lot that hasn't been done. Thus, we must focus on HOW it is done; and in this regard, THE ORPHANAGE excels.
The lead performances from Belen Rueda and Fernando Cayo are rock-solid; supporting roles--especially an incredibly spine-chilling turn from Geraldine Chaplin--are just as good. In case you're wondering: Guillermo Del Toro's presence is felt, but only in an off-hand way. Some scenes are so horrifically beautiful, one can't help but be completely awed. This is, ultimately, a beautiful little film; not the greatest horror movie ever made, but certainly a rare treasure, and proof that there is still gold to be mined in the genre, even if it takes a fresh face like Bayona to find it.
Movie Review: Excellent Thriller from the Spanish Team
Summary: 5 Stars
The Orphanage, does bring sophistication in ghost stories which is rarely heard of, but Guillermo Del Toro manages to pull it off time and time again, and somehow he even managed to inject his magic into this one, which he only produced - as this very much plays out like one of his own films. Not to discredit Mr. Bayona, though, for he has done a fine job. This is a dark, powerful, and moving masterpiece that both adheres to convention and brings some new, more artistic elements to the table in the direction and storytelling.
There was nothing about this film I didn't like. The acting, the thrills, the cinematography, the story, and the atmosphere. Everything was not short of sheer brilliance. The chilling moments freaked me out a couple of times, which I'm glad they did. That was what I wanted out of this film, but I was offered so much in return. Since I knew Guillermo Del Toro was involved with this project, I had a feeling it would be good. I just didn't think it would be THIS good. It was also very heart-warming, which was something I did not expect.
The acting is great, Belen Rueda as Laura is magnificent. Fernando Cayo as the husband Carlos is also good; he looks like a Spanish version of Josh Lucas. The kids do a decent job. And seeing Geraldine Chaplin (Charlie Chaplin's daughter) was a surprise, and she delivered an excellent performance as the 'seeing' medium. The bond that Laura, Simon, and Carlos shared is very sensitive and is carried out well throughout the movie.
This is definitely one of those horror films you should see more than once. The horror films you see nowadays are weak, not scary, and most of all; not worth your time. This one is WORTH the time. Believe me, his film has absolutely everything you need to know on how to make a well-executed ghost story and more.
Movie Review: El Orfanato: The Orphanage
Summary: 5 Stars
The last couple of years for movies have been dismal for me. There just hasn't been many films that have actually got me excited and want to spend $6 on, and was well worth the time and money spent on seeing. I wasn't too keen on SWEENEY TODD but I made up for that with THE ORPHANAGE which I was more excited to see than the latest Tim Burton/Johnny Depp film.
THE ORPHANAGE or EL ORFANATO is the first film by director Juan Antonio Bayona, screenplay by Sergio G. Sanchez. The film centers on a young couple Laura and Carlos who had moved into the abandoned orphanage Laura once resided in as a child, with their young adopted son Simon. Laura's intentions for her former home was to turn it into a facility for a few select special needs kids. Her plan goes awry when Simon befriends a few "invisible" friends which originally was chalked up as harmless fun for their son with an overactive imagination by Laura and Carlos. The treasure hunt game that Simon and his friends play quickly goes south. The results is heartbreaking for Laura and Carlos, especially for Laura who essentially ends up playing a cat and mouse game with the orphanage's ghostly residents.
I found THE ORPHANAGE to be immensely satisfying to watch. The suspense kept me on the edge of my seat. The music really enhanced the intensity of the suspense and horror of the film. Belen Rueda as Laura was compelling to watch. Her performance was at times heartbreaking to watch. My only quibbles with the film is how predictable her relationship with her husband Carlos. I knew he would be the one who did not believe her claims of spirits living in the house were responsible for what happened to Simon. I also predicted how the film would end. Regardless of the few minor flaws, THE ORPHANAGE is worth recommend seeing on the big screen.