Orphan is a psychological horror that is dark , chilling and bound to stay with you for quite some time even after you are through with it.
Cast – Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, Isabelle Fuhrman
Director- Jaume Collet -Serra
Plot
The story revolves around a family which adopts a mysterious 9yr old orphan girl and unfortunately see their life go to shambles.
Kate and John have two kids , Daniel and Max. After Kate suffers a miscarriage of her third child , they decide to adopt one and bring in Esther ,who is quiet , well-mannered and very mature for her age. Initially everything seems hunky dory but gradually things start going wrong. A neighbourhood kid gets thrown off the wing , the orphanage matron goes missing , Esther’s weird and shrewd behavioural issues etc.
While Kate suspects something grossly wrong with Esther and is astounded to be unable to trace her origins, John is too taken in by the innocence and refuses to believe anything wrong. The fact that Kate had suffered psychological problems in the past, and their kids for some reason are not telling the truth makes it all the more difficult for Kate.
The story goes on to tell how catastrophic Esther proves for the unfortunate family and what was the mystery of her past.
The first half has a sweet little beginning with a perfect loving family , a mysterious but adorable adoptee settling in happily. Then the story begins to change colour with mystery and grey. Then it starts unlashing the terror that makes you feel so helpless and frustrated that it makes you feel breathless. Further on , the story gets more macabre before an absolutely unexpected revelation and chilling climax that leaves you cold.
The screenplay is very gripping. Till the very end, they do not let you guess as to what’s wrong with the girl. The terror that you feel oscillates between supernatural and psychological .The cinematography and the snow-capped locales add to the grey. Performance by Vera( Kate) and Isabelle ( Esther) are superb.
Overall I found the film very intriguing and mysterious ,very dark and macabre and absolutely chilling and impactful.
Well isn’t that what horrors are supposed to be ?