The Orphanage (2007)

A woman brings her family back to her childhood home, which used to be an orphanage for handicapped children. Before long, her son starts to communicate with an invisible new friend.

Director:

J.A. Bayona

Writer:

Sergio G. Sánchez (screenplay)

Stars:

Belén Rueda, Fernando Cayo, Roger Príncep

32 wins & 41 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Belén Rueda	...	Laura
Fernando Cayo	...	Carlos
Roger Príncep	...	Simón
Mabel Rivera	...	Pilar
Montserrat Carulla	...	Benigna
Andrés Gertrúdix	...	Enrique
Edgar Vivar	...	Prof. Leo Bálaban
Óscar Casas	...	Tomás
Mireia Renau	...	Laura niña
Georgina Avellaneda	...	Rita
Carla Gordillo	...	Martín
Alejandro Camps	...	Víctor
Carmen López	...	Alicia
Óscar Lara	...	Guillermo
Geraldine Chaplin	...	Aurora

Storyline

Laura, a former orphan, raises her adopted son Simón together with her husband Carlos in an old house and former orphanage where she was raised. While at the orphanage Simón tells Laura that he has five invisible friends which she believes are a product of his active imagination. Laura decides to reopen the orphanage to cater for disabled children and throws a party. During the party Simón tries to persuade Laura to go and take a look at his friends cabin but she's too busy. Later on she sees a mysterious masked boy and realizes that Simón has also disappeared. Laura feels the presence of other people in the house and months later Laura invites a team of parapsychologists to try to unravel the mystery.

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Plot Keywords:

orphanage | dead children | missing child | orphan | female protagonist | 

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Taglines:

Un cuento de amor. Una historia de terror (A tale of love. A story of horror)

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some disturbing content

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan] Official site [United States]

Country:

Spain

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

11 January 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Orphanage

Filming Locations:

Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

€3,400,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

€5,247,378 (Spain), 14 October 2007, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$338,024, 30 December 2007, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$7,161,284

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$79,252,330

Company Credits

Production Co:

Esta Vivo! Laboratorio de Nuevos Talentos, Grupo Rodar, Rodar y Rodar Cine y Televisión

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The top grossing film in Spain in 2007, outperforming Shrek the Third (2007) and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007).

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Goofs

In the film, we see the lighthouse shining directly on the orphanage. In reality, coastal lighthouses are shielded so their light does not shine on land.

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Quotes

Simón: [from his room in the middle of the night] Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!
Carlos: [roused half-awake] I'll go, it's my turn.
[falls right back to sleep]

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Crazy Credits

Pieces of wallpaper are peeled off to reveal each of the opening credits.

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Connections

Spoofed in Spanish Movie (2009)

User Reviews

Intelligent, scary, thrilling. moving

Attended the first commercial screening of The Orphanage (El Orfanato) last night at FrightFest, London.

Juan Antonio Bayona and writer Sergio G. Sanchez have delivered something really special for their first feature.

I have never jumped out of my seat like I did last night, nor my partner, nor most of the audience it seemed. Apart from the terrific scares, there are solid performances from the whole cast, stunning cinematography, and the editing is flawless. If I had to criticise one element, it is that the music swells just a little too much a couple of times, but it is a good score nonetheless.

See this one at the cinema.