Proof that not ALL child actors are bad!

Rating: 8/10 (20 April 2018)

I've just watched 'Orphan' for the fourth time and, as usual, I'm left pretty speechless at the performance the titular 'orphan' Esther (played by the extraordinarily-capable Isabelle Fuhrman). It's one thing to cast kids in a movie FOR kids. Children don't really pay much attention to 'acting ability' and it's up to the adults in the cinema audience to cringe and roll their eyes at what they're forced to watch. However, so many times when child actors are used in a film for an older audience, they can quite often bring down an otherwise good film. I'm so glad to say that the reverse happened here.
A brief summary of the plot would be that a family (mother and father played respectively by Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard) adopt a child to add to their existing two children. The girl in question is - you guessed it - Esther and, it's fair to say that they get more than they bargained for.
I didn't know anything about this film before I sat down to watch and I definitely recommend you know as little as possible before seeing it. The marketing surrounding it kind of makes it look like a horror film, but, trust me, it's nothing like your standard 'hack 'n slash' affair (it's much better than that!).
Maybe it was destined to be average, but Isabelle Fuhrman just elevates it to exceptional levels. I almost found it quite difficult to believe that a child could pull off such a part. It's worth watching for her alone.
If you like horror/thriller films in general, you should definitely check this out. Just don't find out too much before hand.