This week I watched the absolutely balls to the wall horror movie Orphan. Orphan tells the story of the Colman family. After the tragic loss of a child Kate (Vera Farmiga) and John (Peter Sarsgaard) look to add a new edition to their family. Unfortunately for them they adopt Esther (Isabelle Furman) and there is seemingly something wrong with her.
I love the way this movie plays out. It includes every possible tragedy a person could go through, such as child loss, alcoholism, and marital stress just to name a few. Throw in a killer kid and you got yourself a dramatic horror flick.
The performances in this movie are steller. The film mostly focuses on the twisted relationship between Kate and Esther. Child actors can make or break a film, and I think Isabelle Furman gives one of the most mature and interesting performances of any child actor I have ever seen. She was 12 at the time of filming. The ascent she uses, the themes she tackles, and the physicality are all so impressive.
I also love the story. It takes its time and gets more intense and crazier as it goes on. This movie crosses so many lines and it leaves the viewer gasping for air and yelling at the screen. The best way to consume this film is to know absolutely nothing going in.
I am going to be going into spoiler territory so if you have not seen this film, stop reading now and go watch it! You won’t regret it!
Spoilers:
The huge plot twist reveals that Esther the nine year old orphan isn’t really nine years old. She is in fact 33 years old and has spent most of her life in a mental hospital in Estonia. She escaped that Asylum and posed as a child and was eventually taken to the States to get adopted. She attempts to seduce the father in each family she is adopted into and when she gets rejected she kills the whole family and moves onto the next.
I remember when I first watched this movie I was so taken aback by this revelation. It is one of those movies where you watch it the first time and go WTF, then watch it again seeing how Esther interacts as an older woman. She immediately bonds with the youngest daughter Max not because she wants to be a sister figure, but because she is the easiest to manipulate.
As Kate gets on Esther’s case, Esther uses Max as a pawn to avoid detection from the other family members. As a viewer it is so frustrating when Kate is shut down and looked at as crazy for accusing Esther of all these horrible things.
This film has so many great sequences along with a great script. It is chilling and also outrageous. It is one of those films you have to see to believe. I highly highly recommend this movie if you have not seen it already!
I give this film ★★★★☆ / ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
(You can stream this movie on Hulu or rent it on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, or Youtube)
