4 out of 5

Director: Juan Antonio Bayona

The Orphanage certainly jumped to attention thanks to Guillermo del Toros presentation tag… and its thus unavoidable to compare the movie to del Toros Spanish ghost films – moreso Devils Backbone. It shares the same intelligence of plot with dashes of blood and scares as well as attention to simply good cinematic flourish… but lacks, a bit, the sweeping feeling of being wrapped up in a whole world that del Toros movies can have. Anyhow, thats only a slight discredit: The Orphanage is excellent, with amazing performances from all the principles. Laura and her husband buy up the home that used to be the orphanage in which Laura was raised, planning to use it as a home for special needs children. But when Lauras son disappears, she starts seeing and hearing strange things in the home and uncovering secrets that change her view of her past as well as her current relationships… The pacing of the story and its details are excellent. Elements that are normally laid out early in films in order to tie into later scenes are here woven in delicately. The atmosphere is perfect, with a couple excellently spooky set-pieces, costumes, and moments. And some of the final revelations are truly kickers, yet do not ruin re-viewings of the movie. But, both in theater and at home I started to get a little worn down by the ending, which seems to struggle for a peaceable resolution which ends up feeling… non-sensical and cheap. Its not a twist, just not emotionally sound. Despite this last minute loss of connection, The Orphanage is of such high presentation quality on so many accounts that it is a must see.