Orphan (2009)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Jaume Collet-Serra

Writers (WGA):

David Johnson (screenplay)
Alex Mace (story)

Release Date:

24 July 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Can you keep a secret?

Plot:

A husband and wife who recently lost their baby adopt a 9-year-old girl who is not nearly as innocent as she claims to be.

Plot Keywords:

Memorial Garden | Screaming | Connecticut | Alcoholism | Manipulation

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Vera Farmiga	...	Kate
Peter Sarsgaard	...	John
Isabelle Fuhrman	...	Esther
CCH Pounder	...	Sister Abigail
Jimmy Bennett	...	Daniel
Margo Martindale	...	Dr. Browning
Karel Roden	...	Dr. Varava
Aryana Engineer	...	Max
Rosemary Dunsmore	...	Grandma Barbara
Jamie Young	...	Brenda
Lorry Ayers	...	Joyce
Brendan Wall	...	Detective
Genelle Williams	...	Sister Judith
Mustafa Abdelkarim	...	Daniel's Friends
Landon Norris	...	Daniel's Friends

Also Known As:

Esther (France)
L'orpheline (Canada: French title)
Orphan - Das Waisenkind (Germany)
The Orphan (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for disturbing violent content, some sexuality and language.

Runtime:

123 min

Country:

USA | Canada | Germany | France

Language:

English | American Sign Language | Estonian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #45301) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (British Columbia/Ontario) | Canada:18A (Alberta/Manitoba/Nova Scotia) | UK:15 | South Korea:18 | Ireland:18 (original rating) | Singapore:M18 | South Africa:16 | Singapore:NC-16 (edited for re-rating) | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Ireland:16 (re-rating on appeal) | Netherlands:16 | Australia:MA | New Zealand:R16 | Finland:K-15 | Hong Kong:III | Taiwan:R-12 | Hungary:18 | Portugal:M/18 | Japan:R15+ | Norway:15 | Mexico:B15 | Peru:14 | Argentina:16 | Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Centennial College, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

David Johnson wrote the part of Sister Abigail with CCH Pounder in mind.

Goofs:

Continuity: Early in the film, at one point, the family returns home and it is snowing lightly. The windshield wipers stop and there is a brief overhead shot of Kate near the car with a lot of snow collected on the windshield. Not enough time had passed to allow that much snow to collect on the car.

Quotes:

[first lines]
John Coleman: Hang on. I know. You're doin' so good. You're doin' so good, honey. You all right?
Kate Coleman: Yeah.

Movie Connections:

References The Ring Two (2005)

Soundtrack:

83 Folk Theme

Well Made, Well Acted, Surprisingly Great Horror-Thriller!

Orphan REALLY surprised me. I expected some stupid pg-13 movie that somehow got an R rating. That was not the case. Let me tell you, Orphan is very disturbing at parts, and pretty gruesome. The movie overall is excellent, has some great acting, an amazing script, and excellent execution. The movie really has a lot of suspense and the twist is pulled off very well and packs a big punch to the viewer.

The best thing the film has is the script. What Esther does to the family is brilliant. The movie also has several sub-plots that work very well in the movie and add some complexity to the whole thing. The sub-plots never feel like too much, because they are very subtly put in there.

Overall, if you are tired of bad horror films, and want to see a very intelligent and well made film, i would suggest this. Or if you just want to see a great movie see this! I was very surprised at how excellent this movie turned out, and everyone else will be too! Seriously, if you want great, check it out! 9.5/10