There's something wrong with Esther.

Rating: 8/10 (26 July 2009)

The tragic loss of their unborn child has devastated Kate and John, taking a toll on both their marriage and Kate's fragile psyche as she is plagued by nightmares and haunted by demons from her past. Struggling to regain some semblance of normalcy in their lives, the couple decides to adopt another child. At the local orphanage, both John and Kate find themselves strangely drawn to a young girl named Esther. Almost as soon as they welcome Esther into their home, however, an alarming series of events begins to unfold, leading Kate to believe that there's something wrong with Esther—this seemingly angelic little girl is not what she appears to be.
I just literally came back from a screening of ORPHAN and forgive me, I'm still soaking in what was in the film. Wow. This was a messed up movie. Really, some of the things in here are just flat out wrong and the fact that the filmmakers had the gumption to do what they did, from the twist to the taboos, I applaud them. ORPHAN has what usually most horror movies have, from the music cue waiting to have people jump out of their seats to the character who is clueless from what's going on. I believe the movie is self aware of itself and other horror films and uses that to its advantage to have fun with the clichés. However, what sets this apart from other films is that it pushed the boundaries. After the movie ends, you can't help but have an uncomfortable feeling lingering as you drive home.
But I won't say anymore about what boundaries the film pushed, because that ruins the fun. The film has a running time of barely over two hours, which is longer than most films these days, let alone horror films. Fortunately, this isn't a bad thing because the first half of the film was like a great character study. There is more character development in the first ten minutes of this film compared to all of most other horror movies. I was taken off guard. I appreciated that, making most of the characters people who you would root for.
Surprisingly, there is a lot of dark humor. I laughed out loud more than I thought I would and I'm sure the audience I was with was surprised too. When the film started, the audience was quiet, because they weren't sure how the film will play out. By the end, everyone seemed to have the time of their lives. I know I did. With its shares of dark humor, the film also produces some tense and unsettling scenes. This is mostly due to Jaume Collet-Serra, who directed the remake of HOUSE OF WAX, one of my favorite slashers. He sets everything up nicely, while using sound to make the audience uncomfortable. Be on the look out for him in the future. He has a big career in front of him. I know it.
The film has its strong performances...and I mean from everyone. Even the kids have strong performances, which is saying a lot. I didn't feel annoyed by them. A film like this must be carried well by the evil kid herself, and she absolutely rises to the task. Isabelle Fuhrman does such a fantastic job playing the evil Esther. After saying that, it still feels like an understatement. Remember Damien? You know, the Devil's child? Well, he seems like a nice kid now. The film is also supported by two great leads, played by Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard. Farmiga plays well as the sympathetic mother that nobody but herself believes while Sarsgaard feels like a clueless father and a great one at that.
The film also has a great score composed by John Ottman, along with some nice production values, which give the film a slick look. Overall, if you want to see an evil kid causing havoc, here's the movie. The film mixes the dark humor and tense scenes really well. There's also a twist in the movie towards the end which sets itself apart from other evil kid movies. The twist is not improbable at all, which is a great thing. The film is pure entertainment from beginning to end and it works because of the fantastic Isabelle Fuhrman. I can't praise her enough. Finally, all I have to say is this: Esther is just an evil little kid. Pity, because she's such a great well-mannered artist who can play Tchaikovsky flawlessly.