Netflix Notes: The Orphanage

24Sep08

The Orphanage - what a spectacularly spooky and moving film!  I had originally mistaken it for a Guillermo del Toro film (Pan’s Labyrinth, The Devil’s Backbone), but it turns out he was a producer for The Orphanage while Juan Antonio Bayona is the man who has delivered such a brilliant work of direction and artistry.

This is not your usual ghost story, and while there are plenty of reasons to cover one’s eyes in anticipation of a graphically shocking scene, nearly every time the suspense reached such levels, the story very craftily sidestepped what would have been an easy scare.  Instead, the architectural environment, the actors, and the use of very subtle sound effects brings to life a tragic tale that is all at once plausibly unreal.

Laura, who was once adopted from the orphanage, returns to raise her own family and to reopen the house as a home for disabled children.  Her adopted son Simon is very ill, and is expected to die young.  The son has a history of playing mostly with his imaginary friends, and when a few more names are added to his list of playmates, his parents don’t think much of it.  Simon shows his mother a game his friends have invented, where something you treasure dearly is taken from you, and you must follow the trail of displaced items as clues to retrieve your treasure and receive one wish.  The dark secrets of the orphanage are gradually uncovered, with tragic consequences, and the story ends with an unexpected twist and bittersweet resolution.

I am a huge fan of Guillermo del Toro, and I can see his influence in this film, from the carefully chosen symbolic elements to the skillful direction of the children – this is a masterpiece that will spark conversation and contemplation, as so many themes are interwoven and richly conveyed, it is so easy to get lost in the story and in the performances, I found myself almost wishing the movie wouldn’t end.

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