The Orphanage
The Orphanage
Starring - Belen Rueda, Fernando Cayo, Roger Princep, Geraldine Chaplin
Directed by Juan Antonio Bayona
To start a run of films I need to catch up on, I begin with this fairy tale meets supernatrual horror from Spain. Belen Rueda plays Laura, who has just bought with her husband Carlos (Fernando Cayo) the place where she grew up, a disused orphanage that she intends to restore to its original purpose by turning the place back into an orphanage that she intends to run, a dream of hers. She also has a son called Simon who is HIV positive and adopted, a fact that Simon, aged 7 at this point is unaware of.
At first it seems Simon has a wild imagination. He devlops a sense that he has 5 'imaginary friends' living in the house. Laura and Carlos assume the young boy just has a typical childs imagination. Simon also goes off to play in a cave where he meets another seemingly imaginary friend. However the more time passes strangethings happen within the house that suggest to Laura that their may be more reality to Simon's imagination than meets the eye.
When Simon goes missing it is assumed he has been kidknapped by a strange lady seen earlier in the film, When Laura witnesses her death in a chance meeting, revelations about the history of what went on in the Orphanage, coupled with drawings of Simon's 'imaginary friends' that match the history of the place, Laura heads to the world of the super natrual for help. This begins a journey which leads her face to face with the ghosts of the past which inhabit the Orphanage. Will she find Simon? Are the ghosts of her old friends in the house? Will she survive the journey to the other side?
The context of this film is virtually unique. It combines references to Peter Pan, old fairy tales, and hankering after childhood. It also explores the supernatrual, life after death, and the very essence of death itself. It has dark twists and spine chilling moments worthy of the darkest horror films. A series of combinations this film delivers spectaculuarly well and avoids the trap of becoming convoluted by so many angles like for example 'No Country For Old Men' did by being a fast paced film with new information constantly coming at you. It's was also all helped by the brilliant emotional depth of Rueda's performance as Laura, she throws herself into every aspect of her characters contridictory and complex mindset with enormous passion and emotional energy.
Combine all that with a story that will have you on the edge of your seat, as you are never quite sure where this is going next. The revelations come thick and fast, some of the Spanish backdrops for the film also add t the mysery and suspense, carefully chosen for exactly that reason, in that regard the director got it absolutely right. There are parallels with another Spannish film, 'Pans Labyrinth.' This however has more depth and in my view is even better. Forget the fact this is subtitled and foreign, see this if you can, I don't think there will ever be a film made quite like it again.
THE MOON OF LIBERTY VERDICT - Rating 'A' - A unique mix of fairy tale, suspence and horror. The finest foreign language film I have ever seen. Belen Rueda's performance is also simply stunning.
