Orphan (2009)

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.

Director:

Jaume Collet-Serra

Writers:

David Johnson (screenplay), Alex Mace (story)

Stars:

Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, Isabelle Fuhrman

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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 Friend
Landon Norris	...	Daniel's Friend

Storyline

Kate and John Coleman are rebuilding their troubled marriage. Kate had a drinking problem, but is in therapy and is doing well. She has been sober for one year. The couple decide to adopt a child. When they meet the nine-year-old Russian girl, Esther, at the St. Marina Orphanage, they immediately fall in love with the well-educated orphan. Their young son, Daniel, is hostile to his new sister; but their deaf daughter, little Max, is enchanted with her - at first. Eventually, Kate begins to feel that Esther is manipulative and possibly even psychologically disturbed. John refuses to listen to his wife's misgivings, and the wounds in their marriage reopen. Kate calls Sister Abigail at the orphanage, and the nun informs her that Esther has a troubled and mysterious history. Kate delves further into Esther's past and discovers she is not all she pretends to be.

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Plot Keywords:

girl | troubled marriage | nun | orphan | deaf mute | 

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Taglines:

There's something wrong with Esther.

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Genres:

Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for disturbing violent content, some sexuality and language

Details

Official Sites:

Kinowelt [de] Warner Bros. [au]

Country:

USA Canada Germany France

Language:

English American Sign Language Estonian

Release Date:

24 July 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Orphan

Filming Locations:

Centennial College, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

£570,146 (UK) (7 August 2009)

Gross:

$41,573,740 (USA) (2 October 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dark Castle Entertainment, Appian Way, Studio Babelsberg Motion Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Esther was originally written as having fair skin, delicate features, and platinum blonde hair. Isabelle Fuhrman doesn't fit this description. However, the filmmakers were so impressed with her auditions that they cast her anyway.

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Goofs

When Daniel is playing Guitar Hero on his Xbox 360 console, his controller power light is not on, indicating the controller is not on/or plugged in to the console. Also, when the game is shown on the television Daniel is playing on the 'Expert' difficulty and appears to be doing quite well, however looking at his fingers, Daniel is only pushing the first three buttons on the guitar (easy mode) and not all five buttons as Expert mode requires.

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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.

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Crazy Credits

At both the beginning and end of the movie, the title briefly changes to a scratchier, more sinister font, surrounded by fluorescent paint. This effect also occurs with many of the names shown in the end title sequence.

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Connections

Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: The Rotten Tomatoes Show Year Endies (2009)

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Soundtracks

"The Glory of Love"
Written by Billy Hill
Performed by Jimmy Durante
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records Inc.
By Arrangement with Warner Music Group Film and TV Licensing

User Reviews

9 stars because I can not give it 8.5!

Anyone expecting a horror film will most likely give this a 5 star rating or below. All others will be thoroughly entertained. Orphan is an INTENSE drama... full of surprises and a bit of suspense.. would have been more suspenseful for me if I had not gathered story details beforehand. Even knowing the score, I give it high marks as its execution is brilliant. The acting is flawless on all parts and I would not at all be surprised if this one picked up an award or three. Finally! Some character development! Finally! A story! Even with the darker bits of the script omitted from the film, this was a good thrill-ride. Think DRAMA and you will be pleased. There's something wrong with Esther... Haha, an understatement to say the least. Great tagline!