THE BADDEST SEED OF THEM ALL: a review of "Orphan"

As I think about Vera Farmiga's deserved Oscar nominated performance in the brilliant "Up In The Air," I wanted to post a review I wrote about one of the films she performed in that I am certain gathered the attention of filmmakers seeking new talent.

Originally written November 5, 2009

“ORPHAN” Directed by Juame Collet-Serra
** (two stars)

Be careful of what you wish for…

The very day after I wrote my previous review, in which I decried the lack of creativity and even honest attempt at making strong films through formula movies, I happened along “Orphan,” a new horror/psychological thriller featuring the demonic wrath of an orphaned 9-year-old girl, which she unleashes upon an unsuspecting family. While this was indeed an above average entry in the “…From Hell” genre, its beastly unpleasantness made for an ugly enterprise that ceased it from becoming truly memorable as a horror film I would ever want to re-visit.

The plot is simple and pure formula as “Orphan” contains ingredients familiar to anyone who has ever watched “The Hand That Rocks The Cradle,” “The Omen,” or any one of a host of Lifetime movies. Kate and John (attractively played by Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgard) are in the process of seeking to adopt a child. While they are already the proud parents of pre-teen Daniel (Jimmy Bennet) and deaf kindergartner Max (the absolutely cherubic Aryanna Engineer), the couple is hoping to alleviate their grief over a recent miscarriage. Enter Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman), the aforementioned 9 year-old girl who hails from a Russian orphanage, dresses in archaic clothing styles (including ever-present odd bands around both wrists and neck) and possesses a prodigious artistic talent…as well as a mean streak only Satan could appreciate fully. Esther instantly bonds with John, quickly makes herself at home with the family, starts school and then things begin to spiral murderously downwards and will, of course, lead to a final confrontation between Esther and Mother Kate.

All of the familiar elements are present to ensure the “…From Hell” formula clicks along properly. The Mother is the suspicious heroine that no one believes, the secret of Esther’s violent tendencies are known only to helpless victims (in this case, both of Kate and John’s children), and the heroine’s sanity is called into question, most notably for this story by her husband, as the story builds in intensity. Esther always remains angelic-TOO angelic-which indubitably belies her escalating rage which is released upon school bullies, defenseless animals, and to the people who would reveal her secret in the story’s final twist—which I have to say I never saw coming but unlike the brilliance of the twist in “The Sixth Sense,” this twist is a gargantuan howler.

Yet, what sets this film apart from most films in the genre is that there is not an ounce of laziness to the proceedings. It is as if the filmmakers are exclaiming to the potential audience, “You want a “Bad Seed” movie, well…HERE’S a “Bad Seed” movie!!!” Director Juame Collet-Serra and the screenwriters are out to deliver on their intent and the care they placed within the story’s pacing, editing, casting and performances is evident. Farmiga and Sarsgard give very strong performances as the married couple. Farmiga, with her long face and sorrowful eyes, certainly gives you a heroine to wring your hands over while Sarsgard, given the thankless role of being perhaps the most clueless husband in the history of this film genre, a certain believability. Young Isabella Fuhrman completely embodies the role of this demon child. With a Russian accent that always remains unsettlingly creepy and her cold, hollow eyes, she makes for a strong villain-one you would hope to never cross paths with on any playground anywhere. Most successful is the atmosphere created by the cinematography, which is engulfed in dark shadows and the shrouds of nightmares. The feeling of dread throughout the film reminded me very much of David Fincher’s relentlessly grim serial killer masterpiece “Se7en.”

However, it is that very effective grimness that hurts the film overall. It’s not necessarily a matter of tone though. For this film, it is a matter of violence in general and violence towards children in particular. After enduring the film’s opening and grisly dream sequence (a sequence I HIGHLY recommend my pregnant readers or more sensitive Mommies to skip over—perhaps the film’s first five minutes), we are subjected to acts of Esther’s formidable cruelty in a gratuitous degree. Yes, this is an R Rated film and a certain amount of gore is to be expected but why show us several close-up blows to the head with a hammer when only one or two would’ve sufficed? Why many stab wounds, complete with squishy sound effects, when just one or two would’ve been enough? You get the picture, I am certain.

But then, there is the entire production of placing young children in jeopardy, always a cinematic cheap trick and one that has to be handled with a certain delicacy to as not be wholly offensive. It is also a matter of context, as well. Think of the terrorized children in Steven Spielberg and Tobe Hooper’s classic “Poltergeist,” the young hero of M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Sixth Sense,” the small child in James Cameron’s equally classic “Aliens” or even Linda Blair in the granddaddy of them all, “The Exorcist.” Perhaps the fantastical settings of science fiction and the supernatural allow the viewer to be a tad removed from the concept of a child in mortal peril. Even more real world entries have typically shown a fair amount of restraint when it comes to how much danger to place a child into. With “Orphan,” the gloves are off and the effect slides the film over the line into bad taste. Is there any real reason why Esther must prove her threatening malevolence by holding a gun in the face of the small deaf child, and even suggest they play a round of Russian Roulette to boot? Is there any reason why she must place the older child into a coma and THEN try to smother him? And then, there are the acts of violence the two children are forced to endure and view, including that fateful stabbing I previously mentioned.

A friend of mine, who runs a local video store, expressed it best to me as we discussed this movie amongst ourselves. He said, “I think this film is really designed for that fraction of the viewing audience that actually doesn’t particularly care for children and in fact, might even hate them. But, what about the larger fraction of the audience who actually loves children and just wants to see a good horror movie?” Great point and while I do not chastise the filmmakers for going this far, especially as I chose to see this film on my own volition, I do have to put into account the feelings I had while watching. I simply wasn’t enjoying it anymore. I couldn’t continue to subscribe to the fantasy placed in front of me and the film began to feel hideous and I could not escape this revolting feeling inside.

I have this theory when it comes to my relationship with television and movie violence. It is a bit difficult to explain but please bear with me. I feel that there is an unwritten contract placed into effect between the viewer and the filmmakers each time a ticket is purchased or the channel has been turned to a specific program. I feel that I am placing my trust into the hands of the filmmakers to just tell me a good story. If there is an amount of violence, it will be handled within the context of the genre or story. It will also be handled to solely serve the story and not entirely rely on shock value—although some shock value is necessary (i.e. Stanley Kubrick’s “A Clockwork Orange” or even that final shot in Tarantino's “Inglourious Basterds” for instance). When images become gratuitous (a perception that lies within the heads and hearts of every individual viewer), I feel that the contract has been broken to an extent…or at least, I just don’t want to buy what they’re selling anymore. That’s what happened for me with this particular film. As I said before, I know the film’s rating, I understand the characteristics of the genre and knew full well that any violence would be pitched to a certain degree. Yet, as I watched a child, nearly burned to death and dangling from a nearby tree screaming for his Mother to save him while Esther coldly looks on anticipating his death, any entertainment value had been lost on me. The contract had been effectively broken.

“Orphan” certainly delivers on its promises. That cannot be denied. But, I just didn’t want what they were selling after a while.