The Orphanage (B or 3/4 stars)
'The Orphanage' is a Spanish ghost story directed by Juan Antonio Bayona. Laura (Belen Rueda) returns to the mansion she was raised in. It was an orphanage then. And Laura & her husband plan to reopen it as a refuge for disabled children. Those children, including the couple's own adopted son, Simon, can hopefully have a decent upbringing. However, Laura soon discovers that the estate awakens her son's vivid imagination. And communication with his invisible friend(s) quickly turns into something foreboding & disturbing. Belen Rueda, the mood of the film, and the sound editing are top notch in this subtle ghost flick.
Though Laura & her husband, Carlos (Fernando Cayo) aim to create a haven for themselves, Simon (Roger Princep), & the new children, some strange things start occurring. Simon starts making friends with children his parents can NOT see. The manorly house they live in is old & creaky, but things begin to do MORE than bump, creak, bump, creak in the night. A mysterious old woman, Benigna (Montserrat Carulla) roams the grounds in the dead of night. All of this culminates in the abrupt disappearance of Simon ...
Where did he go? Is he hiding in a nearby seaside cave? Is he playing a game? Is something sinister afoot? Is the eery house haunted? Once he goes missing for several months, a neurotic (and rightly so) Laura enlists the help of some parapsychologists (including Geraldine Chaplin) to help unravel the mysteries of the house. They, and Laura, believe that child-like ghosts are haunting the house ... Carlos thinks they've all gone a little cuckoo. There are a sprinkling of cryptic hints that are dropped to explain what's going on, but you'll have to watch the film to find them out; no divulging here.
This is a pretty good movie. It's competently shot. The set designs are appropriately macabre. The dialogue is crisp. The acting is great. In fact, Belen Rueda does a fantastic job at displaying a variety of realistic emotions (confusion, skepticism, grief). She is just as much in the dark as we are. We are drawn in, lured into the plot because of her. The devotion she gives in her quest to 'believe' in the supernatural, and 'believe' that her son is alive, is very palpable. It's a difficult role, & she basically nails it. Along with Rueda, the other star of the film is the sound editing. It actually enhances the suspense & gets your palms to sweat.
I liked (to a degree) that the 'scares' come infrequently; and there's barely any blood in the movie, either. This is an old fashioned ghost tale, through & through ... a film where shadows, fog, dim lighting, apparitions, off-angle cinematography, insinuating music, looks, & noises do all the tricks. I wouldn't call this a 'great' film, however. Some sections come & go with very little effect; the storyline isn't as driving as it could be. The climax/conclusion is full of heartfelt hope, tragedy, interesting revelations, life, & death (but it's not overwhelmingly satisfying). Overall, though, I was more of a happy camper than not. Forget garbage like Rob Zombie's House of 1,000 Corpses or Eli Roth's Hostel. Watch 'El Orfanato' for a truly INTELLIGENT, unsettling 'scary' movie-going experience.
Though Laura & her husband, Carlos (Fernando Cayo) aim to create a haven for themselves, Simon (Roger Princep), & the new children, some strange things start occurring. Simon starts making friends with children his parents can NOT see. The manorly house they live in is old & creaky, but things begin to do MORE than bump, creak, bump, creak in the night. A mysterious old woman, Benigna (Montserrat Carulla) roams the grounds in the dead of night. All of this culminates in the abrupt disappearance of Simon ...
Where did he go? Is he hiding in a nearby seaside cave? Is he playing a game? Is something sinister afoot? Is the eery house haunted? Once he goes missing for several months, a neurotic (and rightly so) Laura enlists the help of some parapsychologists (including Geraldine Chaplin) to help unravel the mysteries of the house. They, and Laura, believe that child-like ghosts are haunting the house ... Carlos thinks they've all gone a little cuckoo. There are a sprinkling of cryptic hints that are dropped to explain what's going on, but you'll have to watch the film to find them out; no divulging here.
This is a pretty good movie. It's competently shot. The set designs are appropriately macabre. The dialogue is crisp. The acting is great. In fact, Belen Rueda does a fantastic job at displaying a variety of realistic emotions (confusion, skepticism, grief). She is just as much in the dark as we are. We are drawn in, lured into the plot because of her. The devotion she gives in her quest to 'believe' in the supernatural, and 'believe' that her son is alive, is very palpable. It's a difficult role, & she basically nails it. Along with Rueda, the other star of the film is the sound editing. It actually enhances the suspense & gets your palms to sweat.
I liked (to a degree) that the 'scares' come infrequently; and there's barely any blood in the movie, either. This is an old fashioned ghost tale, through & through ... a film where shadows, fog, dim lighting, apparitions, off-angle cinematography, insinuating music, looks, & noises do all the tricks. I wouldn't call this a 'great' film, however. Some sections come & go with very little effect; the storyline isn't as driving as it could be. The climax/conclusion is full of heartfelt hope, tragedy, interesting revelations, life, & death (but it's not overwhelmingly satisfying). Overall, though, I was more of a happy camper than not. Forget garbage like Rob Zombie's House of 1,000 Corpses or Eli Roth's Hostel. Watch 'El Orfanato' for a truly INTELLIGENT, unsettling 'scary' movie-going experience.