El Orfanato or The Orphanage is a 2007 Spanish film we found one night on Netflix. Listed under “Horror” it is really more of a supernatural ghost story. Both suspenseful and sad and worth watching. The story centers around a young girl, Laura, who lived in an orphanage until one day she is adopted. Leaving the staff and other children behind, she won't return for 30 years. The film opens with this flashback, and then the story moves to her and her family's return.
Poe in Wonderland is about sharing what we like and it may not always be something happening in the present. We find things all the time that may have been well known to others but new to us. So, a book or movie review on our site is not necessarily going to be a movie that is either upcoming or in theatres now. And, that is okay since it's what we like and think you'll enjoy.
Laura (Belen Rueda), her husband Carlos (Fernando Cayo), and their young son Simon (Roger Princep) arrive back at the original orphanage because Laura is going to transform it into a home for disabled children. Set by the sea, it is a colonial manor aged and in need of renovation. The orphanage scenes were filmed in Llanes, Asturias, in Spain at the Partarríu Manor. The remainder or 80% of the film would be shot on sound stages in Barcelona.
Simon and Laura like to explore the house and grounds. While walking along the beach one day, they discover a sea cave and Simon darts ahead to go in. Laura hurries to catch up with him, and as she approaches him back in the cave, she can see and hear him talking with someone. Simon tells her it is a new friend, but Laura can see no evidence that anyone is there. They return to the house. As they settle in, Simon tells Laura his friend from the sea cave is named Tomas and Tomas likes to play games. From her viewpoint, Tomas is an imaginary friend.
One day a stranger, Benigna Escobedo, appears on their doorstep and claims to be a social worker sent to check up on Simon's well being. Laura and Carlos sit down with her and the viewers discover Simon is adopted and HIV positive. Part of the reason the couple wants to open a home for children who need medical care. The social worker's demeanor is odd and she is soon asked to leave. Later that night, Laura finds Benigna digging in a coal shed on the grounds. Benigna is chased away and whatever she was looking for isn't uncovered.
Days later Simon wants to play a game with Laura. Tomas has taught him how to hunt for magical clues around the manor. They begin the game and find items like a scavenger hunt. At the conclusion of the game, they discover Simon's adoption file. Tomas had told Simon that Laura was not his biological mother and warned Simon he would die soon.
A party is thrown for the opening of the orphanage and Laura begins to see the creepy figure of a child with a sack cloth mask standing on the grounds and later in the house. Simon and she get into an argument and he runs away to hide. The search party is unable to find him. In the middle of the night, loud bangs and crashes awaken Laura. She walks quietly through the house and listens at the walls but cannot determine what happened. Six months go by without a sign of Simon or any clues to his disappearance. One day while in the city searching for clues, they spot the social worker Benigna crossing the street. Unfortunately, she is hit by a bus before they can question her.
The police discover evidence that Benigna worked at the orphanage decades ago and had a son, Tomas, who was deformed. He was kept hidden away and wore a mask. Tomas was chased by the other children and drowned in the sea cave when the tide came in. The same one Laura and Simon explored.
“El Orfanato” was directed by J.A. Bayona and produced by his long-time friend Guillerme del Toro (Pan's Labrinyth, Hellboy *original 2004, and The Shape of Water). It runs 97 minutes which is perfect. Longer movies can be good but often simply run too long. The film won 7 Goya awards including New Director, and Original Screenplay by Sergio G. Sanchez. As previously mentioned, it is more of a spooky, suspenseful, supernatural tale. Alfred Hitchcock explained suspense the best:
“Hitchcock was very wise about this. In his book-length conversation with Truffaut, he used a famous example to explain the difference between surprise and suspense. If people are seated at a table and a bomb explodes, that is surprise. If they are seated at a table, and you know there's a bomb under the table attached to a ticking clock, but they continue to play cards — that's suspense. There's a bomb under “The Orphanage” for excruciating stretches of time.”
*An excerpt from a review by Roger Ebert
Where is Simon? Laura never gives up even when Carlos loses hope he is alive. We mainly watched it since we saw del Toro's name on it. We were pleasantly surprised it was so good and a thriller. You never know when you select a movie you know little about from Netflix or Prime. My 13 year old enjoyed it. I'd always advise you to check the Parent Guide first based on ratings. It's worth putting on your Watch List.
*All photos creditted to Netflix, IMDB.com, and the web
