THE ORPHANAGE... A SCARY/LOVE STORYLaura (Belén Rueda) and her husband purchase the house where she grew up, an orphanage. It is her dream to rennovate and re-open the house to disabled children. While busy with the renovation, her son withdraws into a fantasy world, including invisible friends and all. At the opening of the house, the family hosts a big party and everyone seems happy except her son, who throws a small fit and runs off. The rest, you'll have to see to believe.
When I saw this movie I thought I was seeing a horror film. I did not know that it: 1) wasn't an average horror film and 2) is a Spanish, a subtitled film. Shortly after the movie began the subtitles all but disappeared. Some elements are universally scary... objects that move on their own, strange sounds, and flashes of children with scary masks. Laura starts to lose her mind, engulfed in grief over the loss of her son, most say. She doesn't give up and goes to great lengths to find him. Without giving it away, the ending is vastly different than any other horror film I have ever seen. A realistic and sincere movie that will keep you trying to figure out what you saw for hours if not days.
PICK: An intelligent horror/love film, just scary enough to be believable.
