engrossing and moving tale

Rating: 9/10 (21 February 2009)

Del Torro is a fine director, and having seen 'Pan's Labyrinth' recently, my expectations of 'The Orphanage' were high. It certainly did not disappoint. Although I would not describe it as an out an out horror film, it certainly has its 'jumpy' moments. The 'Final Destination'-esqe moment in particular made me swear out loud in shock. The story is beautiful and touching - the wife admitted to choking back the tears at the end. I read one negative review on here that compared the film unfavourably with 'The Others'. I personally found 'The Others' to be a terrible film, so predictable and unimaginative - I caused great consternation in the cinema when I loudly said 'well he's blatantly dead!' revealing the films mega-obvious twist long before it ever got round to spelling it out for the less perceptive viewers. In contrast, while 'The Orphanage' panned out more or less how I expected it to, there were still elements of the ending that were like the final pieces of a puzzle falling satisfyingly into place. The cinematography was aesthetically pleasing as you would expect, and the acting performances were of the highest quality. No doubt I could sit here and pick holes in the plot, but that would be pointless as any weak points did not detract from the overall impact of a highly recommended movie.