Film Review: ORPHAN (2009)

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Running time: 123 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Thriller/Horror/Mystery
UK Release date: 7th August 2009

Watched on Sky+ Monday 30th May 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I didn’t know much about this film before seeing it, but the write-up did intrigue me slightly so I thought I’d give it a go. It’s a little too long for my liking, but quite well made if a little cliché in places. I guess I should have done a little more research, but then again I have uncovered the odd ‘gem’ this way in the past. But I digress; let’s have a look at what Orphan is all about.

Kate and John Coleman have just lost their baby, a daughter they were going to call Jessica. She was dead at birth. Needing something to fill the void, they decide to adopt. By the way, they already have two children, a boy, Daniel, and a girl, Max, who is partially deaf and uses sign language to communicate. The family are comfortably off and live in a big house in the countryside. Visiting an orphanage, John meets a nine year old girl called Esther. She is originally from Russia and is delightful. He convinces Kate that she’s the one and they bring her home a few weeks later. Unfortunately Esther is not what she seems and the Coleman’s are in for a very bumpy ride as she sets about her plan for them. I’m not going to say any more on the plot, I believe that should be enough to intrigue you.

Although it was very well made I did have a bit of a problem sympathising with the Coleman’s. It seems they have everything going for them in terms of lifestyle, job, financial security etc., but somehow that isn’t enough for them. It’s not as if their characters come over as particularly nurturing either, Kate a recovering alcoholic and John has been known to have a roving eye in the past. But if you can get past all that there’s a pretty creepy story behind it all.

Decent performances all round, particularly from; Vera Farmiga as Kate, Peter Sarsgaard as John and especially from Isabelle Fuhrman as Esther, she was particularly creepy. Also worth a mention were; CCH Pounder as Sister Abigail, Jimmy Bennett as Daniel and Aryana Engineer as Max.

Putting aside my incomprehension of the reasons for the Coleman’s wanting to adopt, I did find the film quite disturbing. Esther particularly so, the way she manipulates situations and how she’s always listening in is quite unnerving. As I said at the beginning, it is a little cliché in places and it is way too long but over all quite a sinister tale (glad I watched it in daylight!). Finally a mention for the guys who do the opening and closing credits, very cleverly done IMO, nice work. I guess over all, it’s recommended, but only just.

My Score: 6.1/10

LINKS:
(RT = Rotten Tomatoes)
IMDb Page: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1148204/
RT Page: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10010658-orphan/
Official Site: http://www.orphanmovie.co.uk/
Trailer: