I had a surprising Halloween treat the other night. I was pleasantly unnerved (oxymoronic as that may sound) by a relatively new ghost story. The story came in the form of a film entitled “The Orphanage.” Made in Spain in 2007 (”El Orfanato”) and subtitled in English, “The Orphanage” explores a family’s odyssey into surreality, set against the backdrop of a desperate mother’s indefatigable commitment to her young son who, quite cryptically, goes missing. The fact that the story unfolds in an atmospheric old house with a dark and dubious history only adds to the film’s eeriness. The house had once been an orphanage for children who, for reasons unknown at the beginning of the film, never made it to adulthood.
Suffice it to say that the children from the old orphanage are dead, but not gone. Not by a long shot.
Sergio G. Sánchez, who wrote the screenplay, has a gift for creating dialogue that is compelling enough in its content and rhythmic enough in its flow to withstand translation. Director Juan Antonio Bayona keeps the tone beautifully understated (much like M. Night Shyamalan in his best work), thereby heightening the sense of foreboding that permeates every portion of the story.
Award-winning actress Belén Rueda (who demonstrated her ability to hold her own opposite the great Javier Bardem in 2004’s “The Sea Inside”) gives a haunting (if you’ll permit the adjective) performance as a mother who stubbornly refuses to believe that her missing son is beyond saving. Her single-minded and pertinacious pursuit of her child made me think more than once about the relentlessness of God’s pursuit of the lost. Like a shepherd desperately searching for a lost sheep, or a woman overturning everything to find a lost coin, or a rejected father holding out hope for the return of a wayward son, the mother at the heart of “The Orphanage” brings to mind the unflagging efforts of the Divine Parent.
In terms of the effectiveness of the film, let’s put it this way. I watched “The Orphanage” at home by myself on Friday night. (Tara was in New Jersey for her sister’s bridal shower.) When the film was over, I had to make certain that all the upstairs lights were on before I could even think about turning off any of the downstairs lights. I had to watch a little bit of Letterman just to take my mind off of the creepiness of it all.
Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about!!
Check out “The Orphanage” (on Blu-Ray, if possible). Of course, if you don’t like scary films, then put on your bonnet and go see “High School Musical 3.”