DVD Review

Mania Grade: B

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Info:

DVD: The Orphan
Rating: R
Starring: Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard
Written By: David Johnson, Alex Mace
Directed By: Jaume Collet-Serra
Distributor: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
Original Year of Release: 2009
Extras: See Below
Series:

The Orphan DVD Review

Don’t Mess With Esther in The Orphan

By Tim Janson November 18, 2009

The Orphan Review
© Warner Bros. Home Entertainment

Orphan would seem like another entry into horror’s ‘scary kid’ sub-genre but in reality it draws upon another tried and true plotline, that of the psychotic stranger entering the lives of normal people. We saw the psychotic neighbor in Pacific Heights; the psychotic nanny in The Hand that Rocks the Cradle; the psychotic new dad in The Stepfather; and countless others. For whatever reason, this is a formula that generally tends to produce a decent film. Perhaps it’s the turn from normalcy into deranged killer that fascinates us so much. Orphan does separate itself from this pack, however, with a clever plot twist.

John (Peter Sarsgaard) and Kate (Vera Farmiga) (and boy, were those names an accident or a shot at the annoying reality TV stars) have just lost what would have been their third child due to a miscarriage. Distraught Kate is a recovering alcoholic and it seems that her emotional stability can be gained when they decide to adopt a child. They make the tough decision to adopt an older child, nine year old, Russian-born Esther, who immediately forms a bond with John due to her intelligence and maturity.

Esther also quickly bonds with Max, the couple’s deaf, four year-old daughter, although older son Daniel thinks his new sister is a freak. These types of films all use the same basic structure…At first, all is well in the new household but it’s not long before Esther’s behavior stars giving Kate reason for concern. A classmate of Eshter’s breaks her ankle in a fall, accusing Esther of pushing her but she claims it was an accident and Max, falling under her influence, backs Esther’s version up. Kate learns that Esther’s family died in a fire and she was the only survivor. Kate begins to suspect that the fire was no accident. Kate’s suspicions of Esther only put a wedge between her and John who thinks his new daughter can do no wrong. Kate digs into Esther’s past to find out just where this terrifying little girl came from.

I think even longtime horror film veterans were blindsided by the plot twist which greatly changed the film’s tone. It was cleverly concealed right under our very noses and helps set Orphan above many similar films. Most of the credit has to go to Isabelle Fuhrman who plays Esther. Just ten years old at the time, Fuhrman is able to pull off a remarkable and chilling transformation. She coolly delivers her lines with a skill that goes far beyond her years. She truly makes this film. Also give credit to little Aryana Engineer. Hearing impaired in real life, as max she is the vulnerable, gullible little sister and yet displays incredible courage.

Orphan just proves that even though you don’t have an original plot, strong performances and a couple of small story twists can make all the difference in the world.

Extras

The DVD comes with four deleted scenes and an unsettling alternate ending.

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