The Orphanage (aka El Orfanato): Review
The Orphanage (2007) Director - Juan Antonio Bayona R2 DVD (Optimum Releasing) Reviewed by: Peter Higgins Remember the first time you saw "The Others"? How the tension was expertly drawn-out and you thought you couldn't stand it any more until... bang: that moment when the door slams shut on Nicole Kidman, and from then on, the pace never lets up and you know you're in the hands of a master film-maker. Older readers may have had a similar experience at their first viewing of "Aliens"... just when they were ready to think, "actually, this film isn't really that exciting..." all hell broke loose, and then they didn't have time to think at all. So now here comes "The Orphanage", a film of such power and finesse and skill, a film so brilliantly-crafted that you won't mind its minor faults, maybe won't even notice the way its plot is so riddled with holes. Because, trust me, when that first jaw-dropping (pun intended...) moment comes, the only way you're not going to be out of your seat with shock is if you're asleep (unlikely), or dead. But let’s start again, at the very beginning. The film’s opening images are of children's hands peeling away layers of antique wallpaper, to reveal... what? An inky black nothingness, that's all. Then we get a scene-setting flashback, with soft-focus and bleached colours. Our heroine arrives at the titular building, with grand plans for the place. There will be a party for all the lucky children who will make this their home. But things are not as they should be. Who, exactly, is the almost ludicrously weird social worker? What the hell does she want? And why is our heroine's husband behaving so strangely? And why, in spite of everything, are we still lulled into believing we are way ahead of the story, when, in fact, we are miles behind? Too late: all hell has broken loose. Now you're on the edge of your seat and you're staying there for the duration. Cue creepy psychics, children wearing horrible masks, ill-advised journeys into dark cellars, revelations that might come just in time, or might not. Keeping a film like this from descending into mediocrity or stupidity is no easy task, but director Juan Antonio Bayona knows exactly what he’s doing. He is helped immensely by excellent performances from the entire cast, and a perfectly-judged screenplay (by Sergio G. Sánchez). With its startling mixture of familiar horror clichés, sentimentality, brutally well-timed shocks and dazzlingly well-directed set-pieces, "The Orphanage" already feels like a modern classic.
The Orphanage (2007) Director - Juan Antonio Bayona R2 DVD (Optimum Releasing) Reviewed by: Peter Higgins Remember the first time you saw "The Others"? How the tension was expertly drawn-out and you thought you couldn't stand it any more until... bang: that moment when the door slams shut on Nicole Kidman, and from then on, the pace never lets up and you know you're in the hands of a master film-maker. Older readers may have had a similar experience at their first viewing of "Aliens"... just when they were ready to think, "actually, this film isn't really that exciting..." all hell broke loose, and then they didn't have time to think at all. So now here comes "The Orphanage", a film of such power and finesse and skill, a film so brilliantly-crafted that you won't mind its minor faults, maybe won't even notice the way its plot is so riddled with holes. Because, trust me, when that first jaw-dropping (pun intended...) moment comes, the only way you're not going to be out of your seat with shock is if you're asleep (unlikely), or dead. But let’s start again, at the very beginning. The film’s opening images are of children's hands peeling away layers of antique wallpaper, to reveal... what? An inky black nothingness, that's all. Then we get a scene-setting flashback, with soft-focus and bleached colours. Our heroine arrives at the titular building, with grand plans for the place. There will be a party for all the lucky children who will make this their home. But things are not as they should be. Who, exactly, is the almost ludicrously weird social worker? What the hell does she want? And why is our heroine's husband behaving so strangely? And why, in spite of everything, are we still lulled into believing we are way ahead of the story, when, in fact, we are miles behind? Too late: all hell has broken loose. Now you're on the edge of your seat and you're staying there for the duration. Cue creepy psychics, children wearing horrible masks, ill-advised journeys into dark cellars, revelations that might come just in time, or might not. Keeping a film like this from descending into mediocrity or stupidity is no easy task, but director Juan Antonio Bayona knows exactly what he’s doing. He is helped immensely by excellent performances from the entire cast, and a perfectly-judged screenplay (by Sergio G. Sánchez). With its startling mixture of familiar horror clichés, sentimentality, brutally well-timed shocks and dazzlingly well-directed set-pieces, "The Orphanage" already feels like a modern classic.