Tuesday

I'm finding it hard to decide whether I think The Orphanage is a good film or not. True, I was frightened, but was that the film's only aim? I don't think so. It's a Spanish film about a woman who returns to the orphanage where she grew up with her husband and young son. Soon, strange things start happening and the son claims he has some new friends who no one else can see. Very spooky. Without giving too much away, what annoys me (and what annoyed me about Pan's Labyrinth) is the catholic nature of this movie. I was irritated by the overall message of what happens, which has perhaps blinded me to the abilities of the film-maker. Undoubtedly the movie is very atmospheric, and frightening when it needs to be, without too many 'why are you doing that?' moments. Unlike The Sixth Sense, however, I don't feel a great need to watch the film again and unravel what happened. All its suspense is lost, not enriched, by the ending. It is a tight-knit, compact film, but I felt disappointed at the end, much as I did with Pan's Labyrinth. It's definitely a good film, but rises little above that.