Where Did The Orphan Come From?

Rating: Null/10 (9 December 2009)

Jaume Collet-Serra's 'Orphan' may tell a familiar story where a child is portrayed as the antagonist but this one is still fun to which mostly because of the camera-work, the atmosphere and the acting. Collet-Serra does manage to create a tense atmosphere in the wooden residence. The hand-held camera is well used. However, the background score is intrusive at times. The snowy Canadian location is refreshing and cleverly relevant to the story. The story builds up steadily and most of the twists are handled well. Vera Farmiga is terrific as a healing mother whose world is shaken again by a new visitor. Peter Sarsgaard does his best with a formulaic role. Isabelle Fuhrman is adequate. Ariana Engineer is quite amazing. She gives one of the most impressive performances. CCH Pounder is wasted. Some of the notable sequences include the ones where Kate talks to Esther about the flowers that grew from her daughter's ashes, the scenes with Max and when Kate is tempted to drink. 'Orphan' is overall an entertaining thriller even though it is a little formulaic.