Jaume Collet-Serra Orphan It features one of the most twisted child performances ever and a wild twist that caused a lot of controversy. But is there more to it?
The film plays with the creepy kids horror movie trope to such significant effect that it becomes the film’s biggest weapon upon first viewing.
A married couple, Kate and John Coleman (played by Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard), have been through a very difficult time together, and the recent tragedy of a stillborn baby could cause even greater distance between them. But they try to fix it by adopting a child. They come across a talented but troubled 9-year-old girl named Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman) and decide to take her in.
But you know what I mean, right? Esther is not what she seems. But what exactly is wrong with her? The film’s presentation takes you down a well-trodden path that films like The Omen have already charted. A ghost? A child possessed by a demon? Those are the obvious answers, and Jaume Collet-Serra gleefully plays with those expectations. Even as it becomes clearer what exactly is going on, part of you still wonders how.
The truth is pretty wild in fiction, but the fact is something… based on reality makes it all the more fascinating. Spoilers ahead if you haven’t seen Orphan yet.
Orphan’s villain makes his twist work
Esther’s behavior becomes increasingly disturbing and oddly adult for a 9-year-old. This is because she is not a 9-year-old, but an adult with a rare disease that makes her appear childlike. We learn of her troubled past as Kate, played by Vera Farmiga, becomes increasingly determined to find out why her new daughter seems to be the spawn of Satan. It turns out that Esther likes to trick the family, seduce the patriarch, and practically destroy/kill anyone who gets in her way. So we jump violently from The Omen to Fatal Attraction.
The plot understandably raised the ire of adoption services, and the depiction of a physically disabled person as a mentally challenged monster was always going to be a point of contention. But on the first point at least, horror is often about irrational fear coming true, and there’s a distinctly melodramatic irony that’s firmly on the cheek with Orphan.
It wouldn’t make sense for it to be a terrible movie with bad acting anyway. What we have is a slightly inflated thriller with one of the great modern villains and a childish performance for posterity.
And in both cases, they come from Isabelle FuhrmanEsther. Despite the film’s twist, Furhman was actually a child when she played Esther. Still, there’s something appropriate about a child giving a disturbingly adult performance as an adult character who spends much of her time pretending to be a child. Fuhrman tackles this duality with frightening ease.
The movie itself isn’t exactly one of the best of all time, and the late prequel The same magic could not be bottled twice with a now-grown Fuhrmann reprising the role (interesting as the concept is). Still, that performance, in particular, will always deserve special recognition.