El Orfanato (The Orphanage)
Directed by Juan Antonio Bayona (2007)
Despite glowing reviews almost across the board, I think that deep down I expected The Orphanage to be a fairly conventional, shocks and creepy-kids horror film. I’m happy to say I was (very) pleasantly surprised.
It’s not that there’s anything staggeringly original, or absolutely terrifying going on: there’s just a subtle, haunting atmosphere that permeates every scene. There’s an uneasy feeling that you can’t shake off, and a creepy nervousness that can only really describe as ‘edge of the seat’ — but not in the traditional sense.
It’s a film that really stays with you (it may finally have dislodged The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford from my brain) and I loved it. Belén Rueda in the lead role as troubled mother Lucia puts in a really magnificent performance, subtle and powerful, strong but vulnerable.
Recommended. With bells on.
