Review : The Orphanage (Orfanato, El) 2007

I choose to review this movie mainly because I want you to think I'm smart (hehe... Just kidding). No, really, the real reason why I choose to review this movie was because, after watching it, it did have a prolonging impact in my head. This was until I saw another movie a few weeks later called Angel Heart (1987, English). Well, lets not divulge into that because, as of now, my focus of attention is all on reviewing "The Orphanage".

Well, to begin with, I'm a very big fan of Guillermo Del Toro. He had me almost in tears when I saw "Pan's Labyrinth". So I was pretty sure that "The Orphanage", produced by Del Toro, would have the same kind of balance of mystiqueness and emotion that Pan's Labyrith had. In the end after watching the movie, I would say that I was very impressed with almost everything.

The story begins with a group of kids playing a different kind of hide-n-seek at an Orphange facility. Years later one of the kids, Laura, and her husband buy the Orphanage so that Laura could relive her memories of the past. She does not have any children of her own, but has adopted a boy, Oscar, who is about 6 years old, who also happens to be a terminally ill kid sufferring from AIDS. Laura loves him very dearly and so does her husband. One day after a freak arguement between Laura and Oscar, the kid goes missing. Laura frantically searches for him not for days but for months but avails to no success. Her frusturation reaches a breaking point one day when she is absolutely convinced that hears his voice in the house. Weather, she finds him or not is something that I won't reveal.

I have no spoilers and there is nothing that has been revealed as far as the the plot/climax is concerned.

My Grade : A-
Recomendation : Very High
Repeat Value: 2.5/5

When you watch "The Orphanage" do let me know!!!

Naveen Janardhan