The Orphanage

Though infused with a few admittedly effective moments and a superb central performance from Belén Rueda, The Orphanage is ultimately undone by its egregiously deliberate pace and pervading vibe of familiarity. Set almost entirely within the confines of a creaky, oversized house, the movie follows Rueda’s Laura as she slowly but surely comes to the realization that her home just might be haunted. Director Juan Antonio Bayona has infused The Orphanage with an understated sense of style that certainly suits the material quit well, while there’s no denying the effectiveness of the film’s promising, sporadically creepy first half. But there comes a point at which screenwriter Sergio G. Sánchez essentially drops the more horrific elements within the story and instead transforms The Orphanage into a slow-moving drama about a woman forced to confront her past. The incredibly unsatisfying conclusion only exacerbates the film’s various problems, and it’s clear that comparisons to superior (yet similarly-themed) efforts such as The Others and The Sixth Sense are entirely unwarranted.

** out of ****