Movie Review - "The Orphanage" (AKA "El Orfanto") - Spanish Cinema in the Style of "Pan's Labyrinth"

"The Orphanage" (2007) is a smart and stylized horror movie with great direction and an even better plot.

The story centers around Laura, played by Belen Rueda, as she moves with her family into affordable auto insurance old orphanage in which she grew up. Now thirty-seven, Laura plans to reopen the orphanage as a home best secured loan the disabled, with the help Archie Comics her husband Carlos (Fernando Cayo) and son Simon (Roger Princep).

Simon, as it turns out, was once an orphan too. Adopted by Laura and Carlos out of compassion for his HIV illness, Simon makes many invisible friends Young Romance the family's new home. Whether Simon's invisible friends are the result of an overactive childhood imagination or more sinister forces, you can probably guess.

When Simon suddenly disappears, Laura will stop at nothing to find out the true nature of Simon's friends, and solve the mystery of "The Orphanage."

The great thing about seeing the mystery unfold is the quality of film's structure. Because there ARE ghosts in the orphanage, we ASSUME they must be responsible for what happened to Simon. In fact the ghosts are VICTIMS of what goes on in the orphanage, which begs the question: Will Simon be a victim too?

The ending will surprise you in its sheer logic and simplicity. This is a refreshing change from the horror franchise norm (e.g. "Saw"), in which twist after twist is crammed into the last five minutes, creating plot holes and stretching the limits of believability.

"The Orphanage" is also notable for it's lack of special effects. The ghosts are not computer generated, the climax does not involve hanging from the roof's ledge, and there is hardly a drop of blood in the whole picture. Instead, the scares are done the right way: by mixing lighting, shot composition, sound effects, timing and rhythm to ratchet the suspense into the stratosphere. The craftsmanship of "The Orphanage" is genuine, folks!

All this makes "The Orphanage" (or "El Orfanto" in the film's native tongue) another in a string of Spanish cinema breakthroughs. Director Juan Antonio Bayona and producer Guillermo del Toro, along with other great filmmakers like Alfonso Cuaron and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, have thrust Spanish made movies back to the forefront of world cinema.

While Bayona's "Orphanage" is not quite as good as del Toro's Oscar-winning "Pan's Labyrinth," anyone who enjoys one is bound to male impotence the other. Check them both out on Netflix. If you have a Netflix account, either film is available for instant viewing online.

Grade: B+

Written By Jacob Destree

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