February 21 2008
The Orphanage
Director Juan Antonio Bayona’s The Orphanage follows in the footsteps of classic Gothic ghost stories such as The Turn of the Screw and The Haunting, treading the razor thin line between psychological and supernatural horror. When Laura (richly played by Belen Rueda) moves back to the orphanage she grew up in with her doctor husband and their ill adopted son Simon, more than old memories get dredged up. Despite the family’s altruistic intention to turn their house into a home for disabled children, things go horribly awry when Simon encounters a group of imaginary friends (who turn out to be not-so-imaginary) and eventually goes missing.
The Orphanage is remarkably reminiscent in tone and imagery to the films of Bayona’s mentor, Guillermo del Toro, particularly the similarly-themed The Devil’s Backbone. Suspense and atmosphere build, every creak and grown of the old house is a portent of the dread to come. Particularly disturbing is Tomas, an ominous young boy wearing a grotesque burlap mask. Nevertheless, the film’s scare tactics are something of a red herring; ultimately,The Orphanage revolves around the obsessive impulse to know the truth and to make sense of a world full of horrible consequences. As Laura frantically searches for clues to Simon’s whereabouts, her mental state and marriage both begin to disintegrate under the pressure. Forced into a morbid treasure hunt with the specters of the past, Laura discovers the hidden truth of the orphanage and faces the cruelty of wishes that come true.
