In a small orphanage in Spain, a girl is adopted at a young age, leaving her friends behind for the start of a new life. Several years later, that girl returns in the form of Laura, played beautifully by Belen Rueda, to restore the orphanage and help children who need a home as she once did. Juan Antonio Bayona made his feature length directorial debut with "The Orphanage" and it sends chills down the spine of viewers. The film was produced by Guillermo Del Toro and is entirely in Spanish. The subtitles are absolutely worth it and accurate; nothing of the story is missed by them.
The film abandons the idea that gore equals horror, though not completely. In one well-crafted crash against a car, a very gory scene is left, but it's not the results that scare, it's what happens after.
Unlike the "SAW" series, the film is a Peter Pan-like story. The idea of staying a child forever is always appealing to filmmakers, however, the twist in the film is well-constructed, and much less manipulative than some of its contemporaries. Laura simply wants to keep her son safe, however, it seems that ghosts from her past have come back to haunt her and her family in the orphanage. To apply logic to a horror film sounds a bit far-fetched; nevertheless, that is exactly what the director and writer apply to the film in order to create a more unique story.
The scenery of the orphanage near the beach can be breathtaking but is not empty in meaning. No frame is spared to help aid with the development of the story, and to continue scaring its audience, the director uses various methods: a door closing, people digging through the visitor's home in order to unearth bodies of children and a head that splits in half. Some of these things have already happened in other films, but it is the style of the filmmakers and the delivery by Rueda that bring a more than terrifying feeling to the film.
The other non-conventional part in this film's arsenal is the fact that Laura is not simply a scared little girl; she's an active mother who searches far and wide for her son. In the end, the drama of the film feels quite real and is not shoved or preached unto the viewer. The film allows for a coherent, yet un-formulaic, demonstration of suspense, mystery, and fright that truly scare the viewer.
Arnoldo Rivas
El Orfanato (The Orphanage)
In a small orphanage in Spain, a girl is adopted at a young age, leaving her friends behind for the start of a new life. Several years later, that girl returns in the form of Laura, played beautifully by Belen Rueda, to restore the orphanage and help children who need a home as she once did. Juan Antonio Bayona made his feature length directorial debut with "The Orphanage" and it sends chills down the spine of viewers. The film was produced by Guillermo Del Toro and is entirely in Spanish. The subtitles are absolutely worth it and accurate; nothing of the story is missed by them.
The film abandons the idea that gore equals horror, though not completely. In one well-crafted crash against a car, a very gory scene is left, but it's not the results that scare, it's what happens after.
Unlike the "SAW" series, the film is a Peter Pan-like story. The idea of staying a child forever is always appealing to filmmakers, however, the twist in the film is well-constructed, and much less manipulative than some of its contemporaries. Laura simply wants to keep her son safe, however, it seems that ghosts from her past have come back to haunt her and her family in the orphanage. To apply logic to a horror film sounds a bit far-fetched; nevertheless, that is exactly what the director and writer apply to the film in order to create a more unique story.
The scenery of the orphanage near the beach can be breathtaking but is not empty in meaning. No frame is spared to help aid with the development of the story, and to continue scaring its audience, the director uses various methods: a door closing, people digging through the visitor's home in order to unearth bodies of children and a head that splits in half. Some of these things have already happened in other films, but it is the style of the filmmakers and the delivery by Rueda that bring a more than terrifying feeling to the film.
The other non-conventional part in this film's arsenal is the fact that Laura is not simply a scared little girl; she's an active mother who searches far and wide for her son. In the end, the drama of the film feels quite real and is not shoved or preached unto the viewer. The film allows for a coherent, yet un-formulaic, demonstration of suspense, mystery, and fright that truly scare the viewer.
