I had my doubts about Orphan at first. In 2007, there was a film called Joshua and it was about a child who had evil intentions. And what made these two seem even more similar was that Vera Farmiga plays the mother in both of these films. So I felt like Orphan would be a repeat, but I was wrong. This film is very different and goes in a completely different direction.
Orphan is about a married couple, Kate and John, who are getting over losing their unborn baby and decide they want to adopt. Now they already have two children, but they want more and adoption may be their only way to make their family bigger. So once Kate and John meet Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman), they fall for her politeness and charm.
Esther is an outcast and different, and this attracts John and Kate to her. That was their first mistake. Once horrible events start happening, Esther is always there. Soon, Kate starts to wonder if her adopted daughter is putting the rest of her family in danger and tearing them apart.
Kate is a recovering alcoholic, and still mourning over her unborn child’s death. There is a lot of emotion and feelings going on and Farmiga can do them all. She captures the heartbreak and worry of her character. I must say Farmiga can cry really well. Kate is a smart woman who starts connecting the dots and asking questions. But because of her past, she is not believed. She appears insane, but she’s a fighter, for sure.
Peter Sarsgaard plays John and he is the father that has made mistakes. He and Kate are in a marriage that is trying to gain trust again. Both of them have issues and problems that they are trying to overcome. And Esther is basically a distraction for him. Of course, he doesn’t believe his wife because Esther is just a nine year old girl. What could she possibly do? He should have listened to his wife.
I must say Sarsgaard and Farmiga play a great couple. They have a past, but they are still trying to make everything work. They want to be okay and want to be a happy family. You can’t blame them. They have been through a lot, but Esther is a different kind of problem. One they haven’t faced before.
Movies that involve psycho kids can be scary. They seem so innocent and incapable of such horrible things, which makes movies like this one seem so terrifying. It’s just the thought of a precious child being a cold-blooded murderer. Director Jaume Collet-Serra (House of Wax) provides scares and suspense, but Orphan is more creepy than anything else. The acts of Esther and the events she causes are horrible, but there are scenes in the movie that really creep you out. It’s uncomfortable in a lot of ways.
“Can You Keep a Secret?” is the question that is asked on all of the promotions for this movie, and I don’t think you’ll see her secret coming. No spoilers here, but I can tell you it actually has nothing to do with a child being the devil or related to the devil, and it’s not an alien from another world. Orphan is a psychological thriller that will surprise you in more than one way.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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