The Orphanage (2008)

Digs Its Own Grave

While this wasn't the worst haunted house/ghost story movie that I have ever seen, it still had many of the cliched character behaviors and weird, illogical "ghostly" motives that have plagued so many other horror films. At the conclusion of the film I found myself asking four questions:

1. Why wasn't the orphanage swarming with police and investigators after it was determined that Simon was missing? Any normal missing child situation would involve a more fervent and exhaustive effort to find the child. Laura and Carlos don't seem to try very hard and they are never investigated as suspects in their own son's disappearance, as any other parents would be. Although the police are contacted, it appears to have been done merely as a formality. This is a typical example of movie characters acting in ways that only make sense in the movie.

2. If Benigna murdered the children and then went into the shed with a shovel to try to hide the bodies (or perhaps move them), why did she come to the house and pose as a social worker in the first place? Why did she have old paperwork related to Simon? Where did she get it?

3. When Laura discovered Benigna in the shed, why didn't she catch up with her and question her? Why didn't she go immediately back into the shed to try to find out what Benigna was doing there? If she had done this, perhaps she would have found the bodies of the children sooner. Any normal person, upon finding a stranger snooping around on his/her property, would make more of an effort to find out why.

4. When Laura finds Simon, he is alive. Then she tries to move him and his body turns to dust and she discovers that he is dead on the floor dressed in Tomas's (the deformed, murdered boy's) clothes and hood. She carries his corpse upstairs and then he suddenly comes back to life, and all of the children come back to life, and apparently Laura decides to stay forever in "ghost world" to take care of them. The final scene depicts Carlos placing flowers on a gravestone that reads "In memory of all of the children and Laura", or something like that, so it is assumed that Laura is dead. Huh? This ending had me scratching my head. How did Laura "die"? Was Simon ever alive after she found him, or did she just imagine him to be? Why is Carlos, Mr. Skeptic, shown to be actually accepting the loss of both his son and his wife, smiling amusedly while standing in the empty orphanage, putting flowers on the grave, etc? This just didn't make sense to me.

Although some of the issues that I have brought up in this review may seem to be minor inconsistencies to some people, I cannot completely suspend logic and reason in order to accept the reality that a film presents. A great horror film has to be scary without having the characters behave in ways that are alien to normal, everyday behavior just to make the story make sense. This film has too many gray areas that don't add up. The viewer is asked to ignore the nonsensical nature of the plot, but I can only do so much ignoring before I lose interest. August 31, 2008

Fantastic

The Orphanage is a fantastic movie. I'm not into Spanish films, but this is wonderful. It offers suspense and has it's moments that make me jump. It's the perfect drama-esque film. I read a review that it was this year's Pan's Labyrinth and I can definitely see the similarities with between the fantasy/real world. I watched it over and over; I cried each time at the end. If you liked Pan's Labyrinth, you'll like The Orphanage. August 31, 2008

We are the product of our surroundings

Film that explores themes of: childhood, death, motherhood and orphanage. Produced by Guillermo Del Torro it still has dark tones similar to the ones we say in "Pan's Labytinth". Some of the scenes are just too gruesome, even for the adults to watch. We meet Laura, a woman who used to be orphan herself who now has adopted son Simon with potentially fatal desease. Simon is a sensitive and lonely child and he has imaginary friends. But when the circle of his imaginary friends starts to grow, his worried parents arrange for the children's party in their new home that used to be an orphanage where Laura grew up before she herself was adopted. Before long, Simon disappears and police has no clues on his whereabouts. The love that Laura feels for Simon is unconditional. She wants to find her little boy no matter what the cost. It is at that point that we see what a true motherly love is. It is also heartbreaking after we learn that Simon's desappearance and ultimately his death is partially her fault too. I liked film's idea on how living family left behind has strong ties with people they were close to once, long gone. Just as Laura has strong impressions of her son being around, so does Laura's husband about her presence once she is gone to another world. The bond we have with certain people is unbreakable between the two worlds. It is there to sustain us in times of grief and emotional pain. Not as powerful as "Pan's Labyrinth" but very touching nevertheless. August 29, 2008

very good, very scary

I decided to watch this movie because I liked Pan's Labyrinth and thought it might be good because it has Guillermo del Toro's name on it. I found it to be a very good film. Suspensful, scary, well written, and well acted. The story was interesting and really drew me in. I recommend this movie to lovers of suspense and horror everywhere. August 29, 2008

If you want a Horror This is NOT IT!!!

I bought this movie looking for a good horror to watch. The cover has a 4 1/2 star rating and a critic "must see" review on it. Well it's not a must see but if you liked "Pans Labyrinth" then you would like this movie. If you are looking for something to scare you or simply make you jump every once in awhile don't get this movie. But all in all it's not bad. Not good but not bad. Oh bring your reading glasses. SUBTITLES!!(which kills the essence of trying to be scared when you have to read) August 26, 2008

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