'The Orphanage' is a great movie

                                                    

The Orphanage is a great film, a truly suspenseful and frightening movie that stands in direct opposition to the mess that is The Happening.

A foreign language film, it was released in Spain in 2007 to great acclaim and chosen by the Spanish Academy of Film to represent their country at the Academy Awards. New Line Cinema is talking of making an English-language version, but my advice would be to skip it and go with the original, because I can't imagine a way to improve upon it.

Laura, the main character, purchases the home that once housed the orphanage where she lived as a child. Her memories of the place are positive and joyous, and as she moves there with her husband and son she entertains the idea of opening it again as a home for special needs children.

Enter her son's imaginary friends, and the horror begins. Her son disappears and we feel the emotions of the parents, the anger, anxiety, grief, and loss. There is much more to the story but its my sincere wish that you go rent it, so I won't elaborate, spoiler warnings or no spoiler warnings.

The film is beautifully staged by director Juan Antonio Bayona, and the acting is outstanding, especially that of Belen Rueda as Laura. It's pace is slow but steady, more in line with The Exorcist than modern horror. There is no bloodshed in this movie, no cheap thrill caused by a quick camera movement, no unstoppable golem lurking in the shadows. What there are are moment after moment of film that induce real, fear of the dark terror: the boy at the end of the hall with the strawman mask, Laura's game to draw out the spirits, the pile of shells near the door, the medium's trance, etc.

When you watch it, pay close attention near the end; I can't say more, but the secret of the vanishing is truly heart wrenching.

Don't be turned off by the idea of a foreign film. In this day of DVD's I don't watch English language films without the subtitles on, and both my wife and I quickly adjusted to the format.

Outstanding. 3.5 stars out of 4 or 85 out of 100.