Better than it has any right to be

Rating: 8/10 (30 July 2009)

Orphan is one of the most confounding movies of the year. Not the movie itself mind you, but the process behind which it was made. Ya know how films are cut and trimmed after the filming process is complete. Orphan seems to buck that trend. Everything concept, plot device, cliché, and genre rule within the story's grasp is gobbled up and spit out on screen. I laughed, was shocked, jumped, was legitimately terrified, appalled, and just leveled by how shameless a production this is.
The acting is good. Vera Farmiga could be a Oscar-contender yearly if she so chooses. Peter Sarsgaard seemed to have so much fun deploying his role as unsympathetic, wrong in the head husband. The children nail the suspense give their characters a vulnerable feel. Esther is just...great! Orphan is a film not for a critic or just or you or me. It's for the whole auditorium to experiences all the reactions this film supplies. This kind of film seems to understand that we aren't here for but one thing, TO HAVE FUN. Well done go enjoy and be-forewarned, this puppy will leave its mark on you