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with excellent parallel editing. After Kate and John take Esther to the therapist for the first time the doctor is explaining that there is nothing wrong with her while she is simultaneously having a thrash down in the bathroom out of frustration. This is the kind of clever editing films should aspire to have.
The torture aspect of the film is more on the psychological end of the spectrum for the most part but does break through to physical with brute force several times. For the most part, Esther plays mind games to divide Kate from the rest of the family. Her physical torture comes more into play with a little girl who teases her at school and anyone who threatens her place in the family.
Esther trying to separate Kate from the family made it seem like the twist was going to be something along the lines of an Electra complex, which is in short, an Oedipal complex for the ladies. Just to put everyone’s fears of a weak twist to rest, that isn’t it and you will not guess it so stop trying. After a set theories on where this girl was up to and all of them being far from the truth it is safe to say that they do a good job of keeping it hidden while dropping some subtle hints and not having it be entirely outlandish.
Orphan is not going to be the type of movie that will go on to see Oscar nominations or anything of the sort, but as a horror fan it is absolutely top notch work. The only real problem with the film was that the opening scene was too bizarre. It actually seemed like it was something out of a different movie because it was so far form the motif of the rest of the film. Even people who are less than fond of horror will be able to enjoy the film because it isn’t just about blood and guts, in fact there is very little gore at all even though you will cringe at every suggestion of it. The film is truly powerful and I am actually still upset at the thought of one particular incident. Everything Esther does is like a gut punch to your soul that you will be feeling for days.
Movie Grade: A-
he tragic loss of their unborn child has devastated Kate and John, taking a toll on both their marriage and Kate's fragile psyche as she is plagued by nightmares and haunted by demons from her past. Struggling to regain some semblance of normalcy in their lives, the couple decides to adopt another child. At the local orphanage, both John and Kate find themselves strangely drawn to a young girl named Esther. Almost as soon as they welcome Esther into their home, however, an alarming series of events begins to unfold, leading Kate to believe that there's something wrong with Esther--this seemingly angelic little girl is not what she appears ...
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