Review of The Orphanage (2007) by Frisby 2 — 10 Apr 2012

A horror movie that is more on the psychological horror side than the terror horror side with an extremely original, & touching story.

I have only watched less than a handful of Spanish horror films, including this one, El Laberinto del Fauno (Pan's Labyrinth), & [Rec], & I can tell you that Spain obviously knows what they're doing when it comes to horror, just like Asia. And when you see Guillermo Del Toro's name in a film, whether he directed it or not, you can expect something worth your time, if not amazing, 90% of the time.

Direction: When I saw Guillermo Del Toro's name on this movie, I honestly thought he directed it, only to find out that he simply produced it, but this was before I became a Del Toro fan. He became one of my favorite directors when I found out he directed the Hellboy movies, & Pan's Labyrinth. Now, back to the direction; Juan Antonio Bayona isn't necessarily a well known director, & this is his only movie, but it is a great one for that matter.

He has such an eerie, & gothic style to his direction, which is something I truly adore in a film. He directs this film so masterfully, that you'll love how many twists & mysteries there are in the movie. And while it only has cheap scares, the cheap scares in the film will still make you jump off whatever you're sitting on. And not to mention that the scares are very unpredictable. I should know, my little bro *WARNING, SPOILER AHEAD; SKIP TO THE NEXT PARAGRAPH IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ SPOILERS* made the entire desk shake when he was scared shitless by the scene where Benigna reaches for Laura's hand after the car accident. *SPOILER END*.

Cast/Acting: Every cast member in here is perfect, but you probably won't even recognize them because the majority of them, if not all of them, have only starred in Spanish films, while for others, this is their first acting debut. Belén Rueda plays her role fantastically, & later stars in a movie I've been wanting to watch, "Los Ojos de Julia (Julia's Eyes)". She is a fantastic Spanish actress, & should be in more films of how talented she really is.

Fernando Cayo has also starred in a few other movies, but, I've never known or have watched them, but even so, I love this actor, because he's just as great & talented as Belén. Child actor Roger Príncep is also a great actor, even for his first acting debut. People say that starring a child as an actor is a bad idea, well, is that really true? Because Roger here seems to do a fantastic job for someone who has never had any experience in acting. I would also love to see him in more movies.

Now, Edgar Vivar, none of you will recognize him if you're either not Mexican &/or have never watch "El Chavo", because Vivar is one of the best actors I will ever know, & this is his first ever actual film debut. He has starred in the show "El Chavo del Ocho" where he plays a comedic role as both the man who comes to charge your rent, & his son. And he also has starred in the movie of the same show.

Characters: Each character in this movie is not only believable, but also realistic, well constructed, & even lovable. Hell, you can't help but feel sorry for each & every one of the characters, mainly because you can see how much each one goes through. We have Laura (Belén Rueda), a married woman who wants to start her own orphanage in the same old orphanage she was in during her child hood years. She is a strong character who can teach others never to give up on something, & the one who also teaches the lesson of "Believing is seeing." Carlos (Fernando Cayo), is the typical man of the house who doesn't believe in superstitious stuff & ghost stories & such. He is also an impatient man who hates how his wife takes the haunted mansion story so seriously. We then have Simón, the adopted son of Laura & Carlos, who is a very stubborn, but playful little kid. He wants his mother to follow him in the stuff the ghosts of the house tell him, & if your own child tells you something about ghosts in the house, it's best that you believe them.

Tomás is the ghost of the movie, & the one who will creep you out. He is the one Tomás sees & plays with & tells him everything he needs to know. The rest of the characters are also amazing, but I won't go to each one because there are so many >.<.

Plot/Story: The story is original, & a classic old school ghost story told in a Spanish style. The plot is also pretty straight forward at a certain part of the movie, & it is also a sad & tragic movie as well. I find it hard to believe that one cannot like this movie, let alone even feel touched by it.

Music/Score: The score, wow, what can I say? I truly adored it, especially "Créditos finales" & "Reunión y final", which make me want to cry every time I hear them. Fernando Velázquez is a musical genius, & makes me wonder what other movie's he composed a score to.

Dialogue: The dialogue is just amazing! Not only is every word believable, but they are memorable, & well executed.

Laura: "En este Pueblo de Mala muerte..." ("In this seedy town...").

Simón: "Te tengo que enseñar la casita de Tomás." ("I have to show you Thomas' house.").

Just a handful of of memorable quotes to show you how great the dialogue is in this movie.

So all in all, this is a beautifully directed, & heart warming ghost story that you can love even if you don't speak Spanish or are of Spanish/Mexican descent. It's extremely original, & has some amazing performances by it's talented cast. I will be honest, I cried to this movie, & it should be obvious why if you watch it. I ddidn't watch it with subtitles, because I speak Spanish lol (not Spain spanish though).