Orphan (2009) Review

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Plot Outline:
Kate and John Coleman re rebuilding their troubled marriage after Kate acquired a drinking problem after losing their unborn child ‘Jessica’. They decide to adopt a daughter, to give her the love that they had for Jessica. Kate and John visit St. Marina Orphanage where they meet Esther, a nine year old Russian girl that they instantly fall in love with and decided to adopt her. Daniel, their son, dislikes her but their deaf and mute daughter Max is intrigued by Esther, at first. Kate begins to feel that Esther is physiologically disturbed but John refuses to believe her. Sister Abigail visits the Coleman household, she speaks to Kate and John to check on Esther and how she is fitting in, Kate brings up her worries and Sister Abigail says that she will look more into her background to see if she can find anything. Meanwhile Esther is listening in on the conversation and when Sister Abigail leaves Esther uses Max to get Abigail out of her car before she kills her. Later in the film Esther tries to kill Daniel in a fire on the tree house and then tries to frame Kate for abusing her. Kate researches Esther’s history herself by phoning the Saarne Institute where Esther was admitted (a mental hospital) we then find out that Esther is not who she claims to be in fact she is a 33 year old woman with a condition that has stunted her physical growth. Esther tries to seduce John but when rejected she kills him, Max witnesses this and hides in fear that Esther will come after her next. Meanwhile Kate is trying to get in contact with John and as she is getting no answer she rushes over to the house where she finds him dead, there is then a fight scene between Esther and Kate which leads onto the frozen lake. Kate and Esther both fall under the ice, Kate manages to get out and Esther is struggling behind she calls for Kate to help her calling her 'mummy' Kate replied 'I'm not your mummy' and kicks her back into the freezing water.

Which two scenes impressed you the most and why?

1. Towards the end of the film when you find out that Esther is actually a woman and not a child, I think that this was a massive twist to the story of the film and it was the last thing I expected to happen. I thought that the use of make up effects were really good as really did make her look old in a matter of seconds, adding to this was how dark they made aspects of her face and low key lighting was used so the audience knew that she was the 'bad guy'

2. Another scene which impressed me was the use of restricted narration when the pigeon was killed, I think that this works better than seeing the bird die as it was small children that were doing it I think if the audience were to see the children physically kill the bird it may have been quite disturbing.

How has watching this film helped you understand this genre of film making?

It has taught me the importance of dropping subtle hints towards a twisted ending, in this film it was Esther's hidden past and her 'love' for her adoptive father. Scenes which subtly dropped hints towards this were the fact that she locked the bathroom when she was in the bath and how she killed the Sister when it came to revealing her past.

Montage – in the first scene

slow editing – between Esther and the little girl on the park before the little girl is pushed down the slide.

Low key lighting – towards the end of the film when the audience find our who Esther is as the film takes a dark turn.

Psycho killer – Esther as she kills the sister from the orphanage, the bird and John

Female survivor – Kate and possibly Max

Restricted narration – the scene where the pigeon is killed

Parallel sound is used often

Outside the C.D.I – the way that Esther dresses, she gets tormented for it at school

Body Horror – when Esther kills the Sister and John

Creepy locations – the house is tucked away in the woods

Collision cutting – tree house scene where it is on fire and the little boy is trapped which the cuts to a empty scene of Kate on the phone

P.O.V shots

Unhappy ending – Although Esther is dead so is John

Violence – Hammer when the Sister is killed, knife, Rock when pigeon is killed, Pillow scene in the hospital when Esther tries to kill the son, gun and the end fight.
Sex - between the parents and Esther see's them, Jealousy from Esther

Loneliness and Isolation - from Esther

Close ups of faces




Which aspects of the film would you include in your own trailer?

The mystery behind the story of the film as it keeps the audience intrigued to see what happens and also the twist maybe not the same twist but a twist similar to this. This is linked to Propps theory of the Hollywood narrative and how audiences are shocked with horror movies because at the end there is not a happy ending or better equilibrium. This film is a good example of these Kate and John are in better equilibrium when they adopt Esther but slowly the film spirals down to the horror or murder, an unhappy ending which is memorable to the audience who then tell other people about it. Although this film challenges this in a way as the 'bad guy' Esther dies which would make it a happy ending but because John is dead, who you would expect to be the male hero is dead.

Which aspects of the film would you like to avoid in your own trailer? Why?

Instead of seeing the gore/body horror such as when Esther kills Sister Abigail, I would have made this scene restricted narration as I did not like watching and found it very shocking watching a 'child' killing someone that brutally. I would have preferred to have used much more subtle techniques of montage, cinematography and restricted narration in my own trailer, to create more of a Hitchcock feel to my work.

What was the best aspect/ more enjoyable moment in the film? Why? Can you recreate this in your own film? How?

When Kate kicks Esther in the head and she falls back into the freezing lake. I found it satisfying that the horror was finally over. I could not put this into my trailer as it would ruin the narrative of the story also I don't know anywhere that there is a lake that I could actually film in.