Having missed Orphan during its theatrical run, I was more than happy to check out a review copy and to find out why “there’s something wrong with Esther…”
The tragic loss of their unborn child has devastated Kate (Vera Farmiga) and John (Peter Sarsgaard), taking a toll on both their marriage and Kate’s fragile psyche as she is plagued by nightmares and haunted by demons from her past. Struggling to regain some semblance of normalcy in their lives, the couple decides to adopt another child. At the local orphanage, both John and Kate find themselves strangely drawn to a young girl named Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman)…but Esther is not what she appears to be and, concerned for the safety of her family, Kate tries to get John and others to see past Esther’s sweet facade. But her warnings go unheeded until it may be too late…for everyone.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this “evil child” movie. The opening dream sequence concerned me because it seemed to infer that the movie might be a ripped off version of David Cronenburg’s Dead Ringers, with torturous surgical tools and buckets of blood. Thankfully, this small inconsistency didn’t spoil the rest of the film.
Having come to terms with the stillborn birth of their third child, Kate and John visit an orphanage. As they wander around the building, John comes across a lone Esther, painting. Showing an interest in her precocious ability, John strikes up a rapport with Esther and along with Kate they choose to adopt her. While things appear to start of smoothly on the surface, Esther soon begins to manipulate her new family, turning them against each other, while staying in favour with her new daddy – “I like it when it’s just the two of us. You don’t know how long I’ve waited for a daddy just like you“.
Parts of the storyline have their weaker moments, like John’s consistent refusal to believe Kate’s uneasy feelings regarding Esther. No matter what Kate says to John, her mother-in-law and even her therapist, she isn’t believed. John also shows a much stronger fatherly devotion to Esther than towards his own family, which frankly leaves you wondering if it’s, ahem, too strong. These two points really frustrated me at times, especially John’s pantomime like inability to spot the monster no matter how hard Kate screamed ‘Behind You!’.
The storyline involving their two children was far more compelling, as was the final big reveal. Daniel and hearing-impaired Max also come to realise that Esther is dangerous, but are unable to communicate this to each other or their parents. Daniel is the recipient of the best put down line in the film – “If I find out that you’re lying, I’ll cut your hairless little prick off before you even figure out what it’s for. Do you understand me?” (imagine with Russian accent). Poor Max is used by Esther, both emotionally and criminally, further isolating Max from the help of her family.
The acting is very good and the performances from the children are strong given their ages (all under the age of 13). Isabelle Fuhrman as Esther is especially brilliant as the orphaned Esther. Her Russian accent convincing, her capability for manipulation, cruelty and murder utterly scary, Isabelle Fuhrman is believable and will hopefully go on to bigger and better things. Hearing-impaired in real-life Aryana Engineer, who plays the youngest child Max, is also very good.
“You’ll never guess her secret” – for those who haven’t seen the film or heard what Esther’s secret is, the Orphan is a consistently above average film that delivers a psychotic child, murder and a truly jaw dropping twist. I defy anyone who sees this film not want to rush off and Google straight after.
Extras:
- Mama’s Little Devils: Bad Seeds & Evil Children
- Interviews with Director Jaume Collet-Serra
- Interview with Producers Joel Silver & Susan Downey
- Interview with Isabelle Fuhrman
- Deleted Scenes
- Alternate Ending
- Theatrical trailer
Out to own on DVD & Blu-ray 30th November 2009
