Cast: Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, Isabelle Fuhrman, CCH Pounder, Jimmy Bennett; Director: Jaume Collet-Sera; Producers: Leonardo DiCaprio, Susan Downey, Jennifer Davisson Killoran, Joel Silver; Screenwriters: David Johnson, Alex Mace; Music: John Ottman; Editor: Timothy Alverson; Genre: Drama/ Horror/ Mystery/ Thriller; Cinematography: Jeff Cutter; Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures; Location: Toronto, Canada; Running Time: 123 min.;Technical Assessment: 3
Moral Assessment: 2.5
CINEMA Rating: For mature viewers 18 and above
Following a miscarriage, Kate and John Coleman (Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard) decide to expand their family by adopting 9-year-old Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman) to add to their own, 12-year old Danny (Jimmy Bennett) and 5-year old deaf-mute Max (Aryana Engineer). In a refuge run by Catholic nuns, the couple is charmed by the artistically-inclined Esther, a prim and proper 9-year-old orphan of Russian descent. Max and Esther click right away, with Esther easily learning sign language. Danny, however, begins to feel frustrated, thinking the new girl is getting too much attention from everybody, particularly his dad. Esther’s serious mien and taste for “Little Bo-Peep” clothes alienate her from other children in school, and make Danny the butt of jokes among his peers. When Kate catches Esther playing with Max on the frozen pond—a forbidden area—she becomes sensitive to Esther’s certain actuations, although she is ready to dismiss them as childish quirks. When the orphanage administrator Sr. Abigail (CCH Pounder) visits the Coleman home to check on the adopted child’s progress, Kate discovers that hardly anything is documented about Esther’s past. The nun also informs Kate that while Esther herself does not get into trouble, trouble “comes to her”, citing the recorded disasters that took place when she was around. The nun doesn’t return home; days later she is found dead in the wood. Kate’s hunches become stronger but John shrugs these off as the fears of a recovering alcoholic.
An engaging story combines with great acting to put this thriller several notches above the ordinary evil-child movie. With her seemingly innate ability to unsettle audiences, Farmiga delivers an intense and sensitive performance, portraying a conflicted character most credibly. She and Saarsgard display a full-bodied chemistry that makes marriage appear to be such an appealing option. There is also electrifying interaction between Farmiga and Fuhrman—keeping the viewer in suspense about what could go on between a vulnerable foster mother and a secretive, precocious adopted child. Crisp editing and camera work add to the realism that would keep the audience at the edge of their seats for 123 minutes.
For a sweet and well-mannered 9-year-old girl to be so vile, one could only guess she’s the devil incarnate. Rosemary’s Baby, The Omen, The Demon Seed—they all belong to a league in which Orphan could be the anointed princess. There are many lessons to be learned from this masterpiece of a thriller: don’t laugh at other people’s weird fashion taste; don’t leave an unconscious hospital patient unattended; nuns shouldn’t be out driving alone; don’t trust a child simply because she is a child; and lastly, investigate an orphan’s past before adopting. But maybe you wouldn’t want to adopt anymore after watching this film. The few minutes towards the end explain it all, and logically weave together into one cohesive and credible story all that wickedness and depravity in one who has lived for nine short years. The movie is about children, but it’s definitely not for children. CINEMA would allow it for viewers 18 and above, for its delicate theme and content.
