Still grieving over their stillborn child, Kate and John Coleman agree to adopt Esther, a nine-year-old orphan from Russia. At first, precocious young Esther intrigues the Coleman family with her intelligence and wit. But soon enough, little things start to go wrong and the Colemans realize that Esther is not who she seems.
Plot Analysis:
Like The Omen and Children of the Corn before it, Orphan plays with the appearances of innocence, and the wickedness that lurks beneath. But unlike those classics, it does not leave the audience with any noteworthy contemplations of the meaning of innocence or wickedness. The movie is two hours of pasty family interactions, foreseeable tragedies, an annoying predominance of blatant stupidity, and the awkward feat of watching a little girl try to seduce her new father. Orphan’s only redeeming quality is its twist ending, which [SPOILER!] reveals that nine-year-old Esther is really a thirty-three year old woman with development issues. Then again, this might not be such a shocking twist for those who saw Law and Order: SVU’s episode “Pretend.”
Characterization & Acting:
Again, every character in this movie has existed before in other better movies. For instance, Orphan strongly resembles Vera Farmiga’s other horror-child film Joshua. Both movies depict an intelligent kid who manipulates the adults for unknown, slightly sinister purposes. The fathers in both movies are clueless, almost maddeningly indifferent to their children’s odd behavior. And Farmiga, in both movies, plays the psychologically broken, cold, sceptical mother (i.e. target) of a malevolent child. Done, done, and done.
That being said, Peter Sarsgaard does a surprisingly believable job as the nice, though rather obtuse, father. Vera Farmiga, on the other hand, has a strange knack for portraying emotionally distant female characters. Even in The Departed, Farmiga's character was not the most sympathetic shrink on the planet. As for Isabelle Fuhrman, everything from the carefully erect posture to the fantastic Russian accent she maintained throughout the film earns her the right to be compared to other child stars like Natalie Portman in The Professional or Kirsten Dunst in Interview with a Vampire.
Setting & Music:
The setting of the movie – a mixture of stark, snowy landscapes and artistic architecture – strongly suggests the juxtaposition of tradition and modernity. Esther herself dresses in 19th century dresses, puts her hair in bows, and, as one of her classmates unkindly shouts out, looks like “little Bo-peep.” In contrast, the Coleman household is a sleek expanse of floor-to-ceiling windows (no curtains), sleek furnishings, and high-tech toys. From the moment they bring Esther home, the audiences rightly perceives that something does not fit. The music, while appropriate, was unremarkable, providing typical violin-laden shrieks during the scary moments (reminiscent of Psycho) and total silence when someone is about to jump out of the dark. It works; nothing more.
Length & Editing:
At two hours and three minutes, Orphan actually threatens to bore its audience with redundancy. Esther’s evil antics grow in malice and violence very, very slowly. By the time she actually holds a knife to someone, you might find yourself thinking, “Finally!” Yet each scene finds a nice counterpart in the visuals that follow. For instance, the movie intentionally precedes a scene of darkness with blinding snow or wide, white sky. The effect is jarring, effectively so.
Overall Rating: 2.9/5
Sometimes, the end is worth the means. A big enough shock could make two hours of boredom worth while. And if Law and Order: SVU’s “Pretend” rings absolutely no bells, Orphan’s ending will be well worth the wait.
Read other movie reviews by Christine Hernandez.
Christine Hernandez - Christine Hernandez is a recent graduate of Vanderbilt University where she earned a bachelor's degree in English and European History. ...
