Paradise Reel

El Orfanato

Synopsis: A mother brings her family to the orphanage where she grew up in to start a centre for children with special needs. Her son begins to have imaginary friends which leads her to discover a secret that threatens to destroy everything that she loves.

This blog has been dead to the world for a large portion of last year and I always wanted to resuscitate it but just could not find the right time or movie to do it with. There were some notable films of ’07-’08 like “3:10 to Yuma” and “The Kite Runner” but nothing really propelled me to dust off the keyboard and start jamming keystrokes. Well, that was all before I decided to watch “El Orfanato” one warm Saturday evening and I was kindly treated to one of the best films of its genre (and outside of it too!) that I have ever come across.

It is actually a challenge to categorize a film like “El Orfanato”. Labelling it as a ‘horror’ film would be a half truth as it does possess all the scares that your generic factory packaged fright flick. At its core is a dramatic exploration of a mother-son relationship. Draped around that is an atmospheric creepiness that just slithers beneath your skin. This is more akin to a drama with horror elements than the other way around which makes for a very refreshing take on the battle-hardened horror genre.

Guillermo Del Toro (”Hellboy” and “Blade II”) protégé, Juan Antonio Bayona manages to create a world within his film that slowly creeps on you without you noticing. My first introduction to Spanish horror was then film “El Espinazo del diablo” (The Devil’s Backbone) by Del Toro and it was a brilliantly haunting take on the Spanish Civil War. There are some similarities between “El Orfanato” and “El Espinazo del diablo” which leads me to believe that Del Toro’s influence has exceeded his producer role. For starters, both films are set to the backdrop of an orphanage and both involve kids who have a keen eye for the paranormal. But be it Del Toro or Bayona, the film “El Orfanato” has definitely benefited from both their inputs which resulted in heralding the return of true cinematic ‘horror’.

The Del Toro/Bayona combination has crafted a very comprehensive film. Every scare, twist and tangle has been planned and executed with diabolical precision. The filmmakers plays tag with the your psyche by drowning you with anticipation and then hits you with something that you are totally not expecting. They will slyly let you in on when each scare is about to appear but they will never reveal the what or how. Nothing in this film is wasted on cheap scares as everything that occurs in the film supplants the story which cumulates to an ending that is not only unexpected but fitting as well. This is how ‘real’ horror films should be made.

It puzzles me how most European actors are able to embrace their roles so thoroughly. Perhaps we are just not exposed to the bad European actors like we are with the American ones (Hayden I’m looking at you!) but they always manage to slide into their roles with uncompromising ease. The female lead, Belén Rueda (“Savage Grace”) has the arbitrary task of carrying the entire the film and she performs her role of idealistic caregiver to desperate mother with unflinching conviction. The rest of the cast are no slackers either as they blend into Bayona’s filmic world perfectly. Every cast member has a certain de-glamoured look about themselves which complements the grounded realism of film.

The synopsis at the beginning just barely scrapes the surface of this multi layered horror gem. This is a film that just as much depth as it has heart. Gore buffs stay away as there is hardly any gory scenes to speak of, save one. And even so, it is brief. Scare seekers on the other hand would love this film as it will incite all manner of screams and whimpers throughout the audience. “El orfanato” will send a shiver down your spine that will resonate even after the closing credits have disappeared.