There’s something wrong with Esther.
And probably everybody else in this movie.
The movie Orphan is something I can only describe as a quandary. Parts of it are marvelously crafted, others
not so much. Yet, for all of its
divisive qualities that would make many see it as a mixed bag, I still find it
to be an enjoyable tale of suspense, mistrust and some very selfish people
getting what they deserve at the hands of a sadistic, cruel and manipulative
little girl who is definitely not who she seems. It is a film that paints a very elaborate
picture of a highly dysfunctional family and how easy it can be for someone to
come along and unravel it if they so desire.
It also manages to take a turn into some very daring cinematic territory
despite its R rating and mainstream theatrical release.
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| "Oh, this will make a great First World Problems image for my tumblr blog." |
Kate Coleman (Vera Farmiga) is the
well-meaning but somewhat melancholic mother of two (and a deceased third that
plentiful exposition during the first half of the movie will repeatedly remind
you), and spends her days indulging in her craft – classical piano. Her problems are many yet it is difficult to
sympathize with her – she is a recovering alcoholic in a marriage that the
phrase “on the ropes” can only begin to describe. She feels deep-seated guilt over the loss of
her third child, whom she lost to a miscarriage (presumably due to her
alcoholism, or perhaps it was what drove her to it). Her husband, architect John Coleman (Peter
Sarsgaard), is the classic suspense thriller ignoramus, blindly trusting the
film’s antagonist while taking every incident as a reason to further doubt his
own wife. At some point in the past he
cheated on Kate, an act that she certainly does not let him live down. John and Kate live in a beautiful and sprawling house, and
are the perfect picture of suburban decadence with no appreciation for what
they have. Their two children, Daniel
(Jimmy Bennett) and Maxine (Aryana Engineer) further complicate things – Daniel
is generally a distant, disinterested brat who seems to have gotten the memo
about teenage rebellion a few years early, while Maxine, much younger than
Daniel, is deaf and mute, something which places strain on the family’s ability
to communicate but leads her parents to favor her, which Daniel resents and
makes little effort to conceal. Kate
feels an emptiness left by her deceased third child, and as a result she and
John have been considering adopting one, as though bringing another young
person to raise into their already volatile and somewhat toxic household will
make things better or distract them from their grievances with each other
enough to save a marriage that clearly is not worth such an effort.
Thus enters Esther (Isabelle
Fuhrman), who is not only the movie’s centerpiece character but one of the most
interesting antagonists I can recall seeing in a suspense thriller. A chance encounter between her and John
during the couple’s visit to the local Catholic orphanage eventually results in
her adoption as she makes a great first impression on the two. At first glance, Esther is an ideal child, a
treasure hidden among the many deserving occupants of her orphanage – she acts
surprisingly mature for her age, is very composed, artistic, creative and
intelligent. Having come over to the
United States from a Russian orphanage at some point in the past, it is implied
that she has experienced many hardships in her life at such a young age. She quickly picks up basic sign language so
as to endear herself to Max, who will become an unfortunate pawn in the cruel
campaign she will eventually wreak upon her adoptive family. At first all is well, with Esther seeming to
integrate well into the Colemans’ household, but over time the cracks start to
emerge – pieces of her background don’t quite add up, she seems to know things
that a child should not, and occasionally exhibits antisocial or violent
behavior when the parents aren’t looking.
All the while, she manipulates the unwitting, gullible John with her
apparent sweetness, which she uses extensively to push Kate’s buttons and
expose her insecurities so she can drive the wedge further into an already
fractured family.
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| "If I had a black light, this place would look like a Jackson Pollock painting." |
Esther clashes
frequently with Daniel, who spurns her initial attempts to make nice with him –
he is put off by her odd mannerisms, Eastern European accent, and for her
preference for traditional-looking clothing that is at least 100 years out of
date. His friends, a group of nameless
stock middle-schoolers, tease him at several points about her, leading him to
lash out against his family for adopting her.
However, when the rivalry between the two adoptive siblings intensifies,
Daniel finds himself quickly out of depth and unable to match wits with her. Meanwhile, Esther manages to walk a fine line
between retaining the innocent young Max’s loyalty by trust and fear, and uses
her several times in various schemes to upset Kate, which Esther uses to
devastating effect to further increase John’s distrust in his wife and further
endear him to her instead.
All in all, Orphan is worth watching at least once if you have any love for
suspense thrillers. While it may not be
up to the bar set by such masters of suspense as Alfred Hitchcock, it certainly
aspires to be and is far enough outside the norms of the typical “evil child”
subgenre of horror/thriller movies to be a breath of fresh air. Much of the movie is very well-made; the
shots are interesting and well-executed, and the wintery landscape of the
film’s setting adds an air of solemnity and desolation to its mood that also
manages to be austere. While the movie
checks in at a solid 2 hour run time, it does not feel like any of the time is
wasted – each scene is a piece of an elaborate and thoughtful puzzle that
illustrates exactly how much a sinking ship the Coleman family is. The most praise, however, should go to
Isabelle Furhman’s performance – she handles the role of a villain with
surprising aptitude and nuance, and the movie definitely would not be the same
without her. Despite her clearly ill intent
for her family that eventually emerges, her motives may surprise you, and you
may find yourself rooting for her at times – the Colemans are fundamentally
very selfish, taking their lavish home and each other for granted (except for
Max, the only truly innocent character of the entire drama), and it is almost
fun watching Esther dismantle their trust for each other…at least until her
true reasons for doing so emerge. What
you may find may be most unsettling, but it is something you won’t soon forget.
